Alastor Moody and the Wolf
by rembeau
Summary: Alastor Moody, that grisly old auror, meets someone who may just change his life. A lot of the characters are my own invention. Pre JK books. Slightly AR. My first Potter fic. Rated T for safety. Finally complete and uploaded.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. I'm just borrowing them, and I promise to give them back unharmed … well maybe slightly dinted. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libellous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

* * *

**Prologue**

She sighed and shivered. It was cold in the park, but then it was always cold everywhere in New York in late December. The New Year was due to start and she needed to return home, but not before she made sure he was safe and cared for. She couldn't just abandon him, but she couldn't care for him either. She shivered again and pulled her coat around her tightly. Her family would never understand.

He'd been older than her, and certainly not handsome in any conventional sense of the word, but she'd loved his gruffness and straightforwardness, and the fact he never judged her for what she was. When he left for home, she missed him more than she'd thought possible for such a brief relationship. But he'd had to leave, and then … well then she'd found out she was pregnant. Her family would never understand.

She waited. And waited. Various people passed by, all bustling to get home before the New Years parties started in earnest. She weighed them all up carefully. None of them seemed right somehow. She wasn't sure she knew what right was, but she was determined to wait until it was right.

Finally she spotted someone. A policeman. She wasn't sure why, but he felt right. She slipped down the pathway and placed the tiny bundle down on the park bench, kissing her newborn baby son's forehead for one last time, before scurrying behind a tree to watch. Barely a minute later, and the policeman had spotted the bright blue blanket. She watched as he cooed over the infant, before wrapping him warmly inside his own overcoat and heading purposefully in the direction of the nearby hospital. She smiled to herself and slipped away. She'd been right; her son would be in good hands now.

* * *

_**Eleven years later**_

He pulled the baseball cap down to hide his face with the peak and his hood up over the cap. He shivered as a blast of cold December air whirled around the dark shop doorway he was huddled in, and fastened his battered denim jacket tightly. He'd deliberately picked the one shop on the road without flashing festive Christmas lights in the window. He shoved his hands into a battered pair of thin black leather gloves, and then into his pockets, wriggling his fingers to keep them warm. A flame flickered briefly from the alley opposite, quickly replaced by a small red glow. Remy chuckled to himself. Very subtle; keep out of sight … and smoke a cigarette.

Remy waited patiently, keeping one eye on the alley and a close eye out for people passing by. The street was deserted though. This wasn't exactly one of the most desirable areas in London, and everyone had obviously hurried inside to keep warm tonight. Remy shivered again and wished he'd done the same thing. A shrill whistle from across the street, a last look to make sure the street was still deserted, and Remy was off and running across the street. He darted down an alleyway and quickly to the end, hopping onto the top of a dumpster with great agility. He reached up and jumped, grabbing the bottom of a fire escape ladder and hauling himself up.

Halfway up the ladder, he swung himself sideways and dropped from the ladder onto the apex of the neighboring roof. He crouched, holding the roof briefly as a gust of wind blasted him. As soon as the wind died a little, he was up and running along the apex to the wall. He scrambled up the wall and grabbed the windowsill, pulling himself up and onto it. He balanced carefully on the narrow ledge and reached his hand round the slightly opened window. Being small, it was no problem at all to Remy to slide his arm in, but then being small became a disadvantage as the catch was almost out of his reach; almost, but with a wriggle of his shoulder, not quite. He popped the window open, and then dropped himself through and into the building.

Outside there had been moonlight and the glow of nearby streetlights. Inside it was much darker. He crouched quietly for a moment, allowing his eyes to become accustomed to the darkness, listening for any signs of life. Reassured, he looked around. The large main room was mostly empty. Anything of value had been removed long before and only a few empty cardboard boxes remained. He snuck noiselessly over to a door and opened it carefully. A hallway lined with offices. He made his way past them and down the stairs, taking them quickly, but carefully, all the way to the ground floor.

Masses of boxes were piled high here. Remy picked his way around, not bothering to check what was in them. He reached the roller shutter door and stared for a few moments at the lock mechanism. Easy enough. In seconds a lock pick was in his hand, and he fiddled with the workings of the lock until a familiar clicking noise was heard. He stowed the pick and slid the door upwards, cringing as the shutters groaned and squeaked. A couple of pairs of hands grabbed the bottom of the door and shoved the shutters upwards quickly as Remy slid his gloves off and buried them deep in his jeans pockets. Remy ducked under the door and out of the warehouse, as the two men ducked inside. A third man was waiting outside.

"Good work, kid."

"Thanks, Sully." He held his hand out and Sully pushed some money into it.

"There you go. We might have some more jobs for you next week. Oh, and any more car radios would be good too."

"I'll see what I can do." Remy checked quickly, then scrunched the notes into his pocket and headed off.

One of the men came out of the warehouse with a box in his arms. He watched Remy's rapidly retreating back. "You sure we can trust him, Sully? What if the cops nick him?"

Sully laughed coldly. "What's to trust? He's just a kid, and he needs the money and a roof over his head. He's hardly likely to go running to the cops. Even if he did, he has no idea what's in the boxes, and no idea where to find us. What's he going to tell them? That he broke into a few warehouses for no apparent reason? The only fingerprints they're ever going to find will be his. We wear gloves, and he's too dumb to know about things like that. Besides, he's underage. What's the worst they can do to him? Throw him in a home? He'd be out within a week. Regular little Houdini this kid. I know where to find him. He'll keep quiet, or he'll regret it."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was a cold morning in early January. The sun was weak in a pale blue sky, casting watery shadows through the leafless trees. There was a hint of frost in the air, and the grass still glistened in places as the sun tried to clear the white sheen that covered it.

Remy pumped his foot before putting both feet on his skateboard and flipping the board neatly. He pumped a little harder before popping an ollie over the kerb and grinding a park bench. He zigzagged down the deserted park path, slaloming random patches of tarmac. Reaching the skate park, he kicked his board up into his hand and ran up the steps to the top of the half pipe ramp. He slid his backpack off and leant it against the railing, glancing around. This wasn't the biggest skate park in the world by any stretch of the imagination, consisting of a small half pipe ramp and a couple of slider ramps, but it was free, and it was in a nice quiet location. Few of the usual park users ventured into this area, preferring to stick to the more formal landscaped flower beds or the play area with its swings and roundabouts.

Happy that he was alone, Remy positioned his foot on the board, pushed off, and dropped into the ramp. For the next few minutes he lost himself in the ramp, flipping the board out and over the lips, twisting and rotating in mid air, landing each trick competently, building speed gradually, and developing a steady rhythm.

He glimpsed the man from the corner of his eye and adjusted the next couple of runs through the pipe to check him out. A big guy, long brown trench coat over a black leather jacket, an eye patch over his left eye, wild reddish blonde hair and a large staff, which he was leaning on. Remy had seen him around before, and had never considered him a threat. He seemed happy to watch the skateboarding from a distance, and that was fine with Remy. Remy readjusted again and went for the 360, landing it cleanly. He pumped the air with his fist as he popped out of the ramp on the top and grabbed his board. He glanced over at the big guy, who seemed to be grinning.

Remy grabbed the water bottle from the side of his pack and took a quick drink, keeping one wary eye out for any signs of trouble. The place still seemed to be deserted, and his solitary audience was now leaning against a tree. Happy that he wasn't about to be interrupted, Remy stowed the water bottle and dropped back into the pipe.

Remy lost himself once again in his skateboarding, enjoying the rush as he swooped through the half pipe, landing various tricks, sliding out on a couple, but quickly getting back up and going again. He felt rather than saw the group approach. He pulled out of the run, flipping up onto the top of the ramp, grabbing his pack with one hand and his board with the other. He slid the board into place, threw the pack over his shoulder in one easy, well practiced move, before dropping off the ramp on the opposite side to the closing gang and heading off down the path.

His route took him past the big guy, who was still leaning nonchalantly on a tree. As Remy passed him, the man spoke quietly, just one word.

"Left."

Remy frowned and carried on down the path without acknowledging the man. He didn't even look behind when one of the boys behind him called out.

"Hey, slow up. We just wanna parley bro."

The path curved round some trees, shielding him from the following group, and Remy took the opportunity to break into a run and put some distance between them. He hesitated briefly at the first branch in the path. The right one led out of the park via the duck pond. The left wound its way through a wooded area before emerging into a residential neighborhood. Usually Remy would have taken the right path, as it was the quickest way out of the park. But for some reason, he decided to take the left one instead. A little way down and around a bend, he ducked off the path and into the undergrowth, just short of an old pavilion type shelter, and hid himself from view.

A few seconds later he heard the pounding of footsteps and the following group of 4 boys ran into view. They stopped right by his hiding place, two of them gasping for breath.

"I can't see him, Jake."

"But he came this way, Ryan."

"Well he ain't here."

"He must be hiding in the pavilion."

"You sure he didn't go past the pond?"

If he'd … gone past the … duck pond … Jermain would … have grabbed him."

Remy was suddenly happy he'd taken the big guys advice and taken the left path, although he couldn't help wondering how he'd known.

"Come on, Shen, stop gasping for breath. Told you before, smoking is bad for you. Let's search the pavilion."

They checked the pavilion thoroughly. The Asian boy, Shen, even kicked a wall in frustration when they realized Remy wasn't there, causing him to howl in pain and limp around cursing, much to everyone else's amusement.

"He must have run faster than we thought. Come on, we might still catch him."

Remy watched as they ran off down the path, and breathed a huge sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was averse to the odd fight, but he really hadn't been in the mood to try take that particular gang on today all by himself.

"If I were you, I'd leave by a different path before they decide to double back and meet up with the others."

Remy nearly jumped out of his skin. He'd been so intent watching the gang of boys that he hadn't heard the man approach. He was obviously talking to Remy, and presumably knew exactly where he was hiding, yet he appeared to be staring down the path at some point past the pavilion. Remy emerged from the undergrowth and dusted himself off. He regarded the man carefully with his head tilted slightly to the left, noting the scars on the man's face and the fact his nose seemed to have been broken more than once.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." The man's low grumbling growl of a voice suited him perfectly. Still the man stared at some unknown distant point. Remy re-shouldered his pack and set off back towards the skate park at a jog. He glanced backwards just once, as he reached the bend in the path. The man was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Over the next week or so, Remy managed to avoid any more confrontations in the park, varying his skating times and his routes in and out. He glimpsed the big guy limping around in the distance occasionally, but never close enough to speak to.

And then it snowed.

The previous night the sky had been clear and the air cold, with the promise of a cold night and a probable early morning frost. He'd been looking forward to a decent skateboarding session. Cold, crisp mornings always meant the park was quiet. But when he woke up, heavy grey clouds had moved in, blocking out the sky, and it was snowing. Snowing a lot! Thick, heavy and white; covering the ground in a blanket of frozen silence.

Remy hung around in an alley for a while, sitting on top of the wheelie bins, throwing snowballs at the wall opposite him, for no particular reason except it was something to do. The cold from the snow soaked through his thin gloves and chilled his fingers, making them tingle. He threw snowballs until he was convinced his arm would be sore the next day, and then decided it was time to find something else to do.

From the safety of a shop doorway, Remy watched the group of boys heading out of the park, wrapped up warmly in hats and scarves and thick coats. He knew there was a spot down by the old railway bridge where they hung out, drinking cheap cider and spray painting the arches with what Remy could only think of as daubs. No real form, no real art, just scrawled signatures really, and most of them were misspelled. He assumed that was where they were heading. Deciding the park would be a safe enough to hang around for a while, he headed in - and ran straight into three of the gang. Literally.

Bouncing off the lead boy, Remy attempted to run for it, but the ground was slippery beneath his feet and the other boy reacted quickly and grabbed a hold of Remy's pack. Unwilling to sacrifice his pack, Remy slid his arm out of the straps and tried to wrestle the pack free, but the other boy was older and stronger and had a firm hold. The other two boys closed in menacingly, trapping Remy between them.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. Skater boy. We want a word with you, punk."

Remy released his pack. "Why? What did I do?"

The boy laughed and dropped Remy's pack on the floor, apparently more interested in Remy than his belongings.

"It's what you didn't do, punk. You didn't ask us if you could skate in our park. This is our turf, right boys? We get to say who skates here and who don't. A'ight?"

The other boys agreed, while Remy feigned bemusement, while trying not to laugh at the overdone attempts to sound like American gangsters. "Your park? Oh, I thought it was a public park."

The colored boy to his left laughed coldly. "Aw, ain't that sweet. He thought it was a public park, Ryan. Imagine that. He really is dumb."

Ryan just shook his head and laughed. "Well, we'll just have to teach him different won't we, Jermain?" He sneered at Remy and looked him over. "Runt like this shouldn't take much teaching. We have five minutes to spare. Maybe if he apologizes and pays the dough, we'll let him skate here. What do you reckon, Shen?"

Shen grinned. "Maybe. If he coughs enough for some smokes."

"Dough?" Remy scratched behind his right ear. "What dough? Like bread?"

"Dough for skating in our park, dumbass. Money. Loot. Moola."

Remy grinned. "Good luck with that, dude. I don't have any money, loot, or moola. Besides, can't skateboard in snow, dumbass."

Ryan's face clouded over. "Well, then we got us some drama. Means we gotta take what's ours some other way. Can't be having no punk kid dissing us. Can't be done, man. Just ain't cool. We got reps and we gotta protect what's ours." Ryan's hand balled into a fist as he spoke.

Remy kept his face blank as he quickly gauged the distances between himself and the gang members. He was relieved none of them had pulled a knife, but they were still all older and bigger than him. Jermain and Shen stood back, obviously confident that Ryan could handle this minor inconvenience himself. This suited Remy perfectly. As Ryan drew his fist back, Remy ducked underneath it and jabbed a sharp right fist of his own into Ryan's midriff, causing the bigger boy to wince in pain and gasp for breath. Jermain and Shen were momentarily confused, not sure what had just happened, and Remy made the most of his brief advantage, slamming his left fist upwards into Ryan's jaw, snapping his head back.

Shen recovered first and made to grab Remy, but the snow underfoot slowed him down and Remy feinted to the left, grabbing Ryan by the cheap medallion dangling around his neck and spinning him round and into Shen's path. As they struggled to untangle themselves, Jermain finally snapped out of his stunned stupor and made a clumsy grab for Remy. Remy slid past him easily, pushing him into the other two boys, before grabbing his pack and haring off as fast as he could through the trampled snow.

Remy only paused when he reached the park exit, looking back to see if he was being followed. Gasping for breath, he was surprised to see the big guy limping his way towards him. As he drew level with Remy he slowed slightly and grinned.

"Nice moves, kid. But if I were you, I'd find somewhere else to skate for a while."

He stumped off down the street, leaving Remy staring after him, somewhat dumbfounded.

* * *

Remy avoided the park completely for the next couple of weeks. He was chased from skating in front of the library by an angry librarian, and narrowly escaped being caught by an irate shopkeeper in the shopping center. He even did a couple more jobs for Sully, even though he didn't really like the man. Still, at least it gave him some cash in his pocket so he could eat, and a roof over his head. Even though the snow had now gone, the early February weather was still distinctly cold. Remy reasoned that by spring he could move away from this area and Sully and try his luck somewhere else, but until the weather improved, he was stuck. Eventually the urge to skate the half pipe overcame his reluctance to encounter Ryan and his crew again and he headed back cautiously to the park.

It was late afternoon, and the sun was trying to shine weakly through the thickening grey cloud. There was a damp icy feel to the air. The park was quiet. A young couple was deep in conversation in the old pavilion. Two tramps were sharing a bottle of cheap wine on the bandstand, sheltering as best they could from the odd blast of bitter wind. A mother was pushing her young child in a pram; both wrapped up well against the cold, the child clutching a bag of bread in mittened hands. Remy assumed they were heading for the duck pond. Even the birds were quiet, as though they'd decided to hide away until spring returned. He paused as he reached the skate area, double checking that there was no one around. Satisfied, he unhooked his board and hit one of the slide ramps at a run, dropping his pack on the ground by the ramp.

A few slides and flips, a 50-50 off the picnic table, and Remy checked to make sure the area was still quiet. He grabbed his board and scrambled up the face of the half pipe to the top. One last check and he dropped in, gathering speed, flicking off the top, a couple of tail grabs, the wind rushing through his short blonde hair, building for the 360. He landed it cleanly and continued riding, aiming for a second 360. He landed the second just as cleanly and punched the air jubilantly, grinding and skidding the board sideways out of the half pipe to a standstill over by his pack. And Ryan.

Remy was momentarily stunned to find Ryan there. A quick look around revealed he wasn't alone. He had three friends with him. Remy recognized them as Shen, Jermain and Jake. They were placed strategically around the ramps in an attempt to limit Remy's escape options.

"S'up, Ryan?" Remy grinned calmly at the bigger boy. Ryan frowned back.

"You still haven't paid to skate here, punk."

"Told ya, I ain't got money. He looked around and shrugged. "Besides, I don't see no ticket office."

Ryan practically snarled. "This time you're not getting away." He swung a right at Remy, who was expecting it and ducked easily. For a few moments, Remy danced around Ryan, evading the rather labored punches swung his way, and at the same time staying out of reach of the other three boys. Finally Ryan managed to clip the side of Remy's head with a wild left. Remy slowed as the blow stunned him slightly, shaking his head to try clear it. Ryan grabbed his opportunity and launched himself at Remy, launching a flurry of punches, forcing the smaller boy backwards as his friends cheered him on. Remy blocked and dodged and ducked as best he could. He felt his lip split as Ryan landed a sharp right, and the breath rushed out of his lungs under a barrage of fast punches to his ribcage. He stumbled backwards, trying to get out of range, but tripped and fell, landing awkwardly. Ryan whooped with glee and threw himself on Remy. The two of them rolled around on the ground, trading punches as best they could at such close quarters. Remy managed to land a couple of decent shots of his own, slowing Ryan a little and buying himself a little respite from the furious onslaught.

"Cops!"

Remy dimly registered the cry. Ryan seemed completely oblivious as he rained a flurry of punches at Remy's head, but his friends grabbed at him, pulling him off. Ryan aimed one last kick at Remy, catching him square in the ribs, before scrambling off with his friends. Remy grimaced and struggled to try and stand up, noting the two policemen approaching at a run. One of them set off in pursuit of Ryan and his crew, while the other seemed focused on Remy. Remy groaned and tried to force himself to his feet, his head still spinning, feeling very weird.

Suddenly he was grabbed and hauled to his feet. His initial reaction was to try and wriggle free, but the hand that had grabbed him squeezed his shoulder firmly yet gently and Remy held still, strangely reassured. He looked up and realized it was the strange man with the eye patch that had him tightly gripped. The man spun around to face the approaching policeman, picking up Remy's pack with his free hand. He swung the pack onto his shoulder, swapped his staff back to the other hand and pulled Remy closer, sheltering him from the policeman with his own body.

"It's ok, officer, I'll take care of this one. Sorry if they were causing a disturbance. You know what boys this age are like."

The policeman hesitated, unsure of what to say. The man set off with Remy held close by, effectively curtailing any further discussion. The policeman scratched his head watching them go, then shrugged and followed his colleague. Remy decided to stick close, at least until the cops were a safe way off and his head had cleared.

The pair didn't slow until they'd reached the far end of the park, where the man stopped and released his grip on Remy. He produced a handkerchief from a pocket and dabbed it at Remy's lip. Remy winced a little, but made no move to back off. His head was still spinning and he still felt … well, strange was the only way to describe it.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, kiddo." The man regarded Remy with a concerned look. "Feeling ok?"

Remy thought for a second. "Kinda weird," he admitted. "Just winded I think."

"Hmm, maybe more than winded." The man took hold of Remy's right hand and raised it slightly. "I'd say that was weird, unless it usually does that."

Remy looked at his hand and heard himself gasp in surprise. His hand looked very weird. In fact, it looked like a paw.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The big guy guided a stunned Remy out of the park and through a myriad of streets. Remy barely noticed where they were going. Eventually the pair paused under a well lit railway bridge, and the man turned Remy to face him.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Remy."

"Ok, Remy. I'm Alastor. Call me Al. Feeling any better?"

Remy stared wonderingly at his hand, and was relieved to see it looked like a hand. He nodded his head, still trying to work out what had just happened. It must have been the bang on the head. Al slipped the pack off his shoulder and handed it over to Remy, who slung it over his own shoulder quickly.

"Hungry?"

Remy thought for a second, and his rumbling stomach answered the question for him. Remy grinned a little sheepishly. Al just laughed and ruffled Remy's hair.

"Come on then, Remy. I'll buy you a burger or something."

Al set off quickly down the street, not bothering to check if Remy was following or not. Remy paused for a split second, but was quickly at Al's side, jogging to keep up. Al grinned and slowed his pace a little so Remy could walk alongside him. He led the way back towards the park and a small diner down a side street. Remy had noticed it before and had been tempted to try it on a few occasions, but the couple of times he'd had enough money to seriously consider it, he could never seem to find the door. He followed Al to a table against the back wall and took a seat. Al handed him the menu and nodded to the pink haired girl chewing gum behind the counter. She strolled over with an empty mug, which she placed in front of Al.

"Give us a couple of minutes?"

She nodded and retreated back to the counter. Remy half read the menu and half watched Al as he fished a hip flask from a coat pocket and poured some sort of liquid into the mug. Al chuckled. Remy blushed slightly and buried his head back in the menu.

"Anything you like the look of?"

Remy shrugged. "Dunno."

"You like burgers?"

Remy nodded. Al caught the girl's eye and she came back with her notepad at the ready.

"One burger with chips and a Coke?" Al looked questioningly at Remy.

Remy nodded. "Please."

The waitress scribbled a note, smiled at Remy and headed off. Remy peered around the diner. It was a pretty standard diner, with an assortment of tables dotted around the room, all spaced reasonably so you wouldn't feel like you were intruding on the conversation at the next table. The shiny serving counter displayed cakes in a glass section, and there were assorted bright prints by Monet on the walls. There was an old couple over by the window, drinking coffee, deep in conversation. A little to the side of the door was a table with a dark haired boy who looked to be about Remy's age, and a man, presumably the boy's father. There was certainly more than a passing resemblance between the two anyway. The waitress returned with a can of Coke and a glass, placing them in front of Remy before heading back to the counter. Remy opened the can and took a long drink straight from it, ignoring the glass completely. Al watched him and made a signal to the waitress.

Remy looked at him. "What?"

Al chuckled. "Just ordering you another can of Coke, kiddo. The way you're drinking that one, it won't last long."

Remy half grinned and put the can down.

"So how old are you, Remy?"

"Eleven."

"Eleven? Hmm, from your size you look a little younger, yet you fight like someone older."

Remy shrugged. "I've always been small. I can take care of myself though."

"I noticed that. So where do you live?"

"Nowhere."

"Parents?"

Remy shook his head and studied the table closely. Al watched and waited until he lifted his head again.

"No parents?"

"Nope."

"Ok, so where do you live?"

Remy shrugged and said nothing.

"You look after yourself?"

"Pretty much."

"How long have you been doing that?"

Another shrug. "Couple of years."

Al sat back as the waitress came back with Remy's food and a fresh can of Coke. Remy glanced at Al, who grinned and nodded. Remy wasted no time in digging in. Al watched him eat and wondered how long it had been since the boy had last eaten a proper meal. Remy paused between mouthfuls and looked at Al.

"Wanna fry?"

Al shook his head with a smile. "No thanks, Remy. All yours."

Remy resumed his demolition of the burger. Only when he slowed did Al try to resume the conversation.

"Been skateboarding long?"

Remy nodded enthusiastically. "Always. I love skateboarding. People get kinda mad at ya sometimes over here for street skating in malls and down sidewalks and stuff. Hard to go vert skating too. Not many decent parks. Kinda makes it tricky."

Al nodded. "Which is why you keep going back to that park."

"Yep. Only half decent free vert park in the area. Half pipe ramp is pretty good for a park."

"I'm going to assume you're not originally from around here."

Remy chewed slowly, head tilted on one side looking at Al, his bright blue eyes quizzical.

Al chuckled. "Fry, not chip. Mall … Sidewalk … Over here …"

Remy groaned a little. "I was trying hard too."

"You were doing ok, lad. Your accent only slipped slightly a couple of times. Most people wouldn't have noticed."

Remy nodded. "Yeah, the accent does still slip sometimes. I usually get away with it though."

"So where are you from originally then? The states presumably."

"New York."

"How long have you been in England? Four years? Five?"

"Just a couple."

"Your accents pretty good for just a couple of years. Come with your parents?"

Remy's expression darkened slightly and he returned his attention to the remaining chips with a non committal shrug. Al decided not to pursue that line of questioning any further.

"You go to school near here?"

Another shrug. "Not if I can help it."

"Got a last name?"

"Nope. Just Remy."

"And no home address."

Remy grinned and shook his head. It was Al's turn to shrug. "Well, that's going to make getting you home in one piece interesting then."

"I'll be ok."

Al smiled. "Not doubting that for one minute. Finished?"

Remy took a last swig of Coke and put the empty can down with a nod. Al chuckled and stood up. "For a small kid, you can't half eat." He headed over to the counter to pay.

Remy looked about with renewed curiosity. He was feeling a lot better now he'd eaten. The elderly couple were still chatting quietly, apparently oblivious of their surroundings. The man and boy a few tables away now seemed to be arguing. The boy was shaking his head while the man appeared to have reached the end of his patience. He suddenly stood up and loomed menacingly over the boy.

"You're useless, boy. You're going to do what you're told if you know what's good for you."

The boy cringed back in his chair and shook his head. "But my dad …"

"Forget him. I'm in charge now. You _will_ do as you're told, or else!" He drew his arm back as though he was going to slap the boy across the face. Remy leapt to his feet and ran over to the pair.

"Leave him alone."

The man shifted his gaze to Remy and sneered contemptuously. "Or what? What exactly are you going to do about it, runt?" He didn't lower his hand, but now brought it around as though to strike Remy instead.

Remy growled. It was a low, instinctual growl. Remy had long since learned that he wasn't big enough to worry people, but a growl usually made them take a step back while they assessed the situation. The man sneered and laughed. Remy growled again, a little louder this time. Suddenly the man blanched and took a step backwards. Remy took a step forward and growled again. The man took several more steps backwards, falling over a chair and landing on his backside, before scrambling to his feet and making a dash for the exit, with one last frightened glance over his shoulder.

Remy was a little perplexed. He'd never had that affect on anyone before. He assumed Al had decided to back him up and turned to say something, but there was no one behind him. Remy frowned. Weird. He'd had people back away from his growl before, but never actually run for cover. He turned back to the doorway, and as his head swung round he caught a glimpse of a dog in the reflective counter side. Strange. He hadn't noticed a dog in here before. Maybe it had been under a table. He turned to look at the dog, and noticed it was looking right at him. And it seemed to be at his height. It must be an optical illusion from the counter surface. He tilted his head to one side, noting that the dog did the same thing. Remy grinned. It was really only a pup; shaggy, sandy colored fur, sort of a cross between a Labrador and an Alsatian. Remy moved his head and the dog copied him - and again - and again. Remy had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach, and it wasn't from the burger. He looked down at the floor - and saw a pair of shaggy, sandy paws.

Remy stared dumbfounded at his hands. Paws. What the hell was happening to him? He panicked and ran for the door, skidding on the slippery floor, struggling to work out how to run on four paws. He skittered to a halt by the door, realizing he had no way of opening it. He looked around, desperate to find an exit. The girl behind the counter was filing her nails, apparently unconcerned that she now had a dog running around the diner. The elderly couple was still engrossed in their conversation. The young boy was staring at him open mouthed. Al was seated on a long padded bench at the far side of the room. He patted the bench beside him.

"Come here, Remy."

Remy sat still for a moment, thinking, but could see no real options. He padded over to Al, trying not to think about how to walk on four paws. It seemed to work quite naturally if he didn't think about it. He stopped by Al's feet and looked up. Al patted the bench.

"Up here, Remy."

Remy paused for a split second, and then jumped up onto the bench beside Al, who scratched his ear.

"Good boy."

Remy discovered he quite liked having his ear scratched. Al somehow managed to maneuver Remy until he was laid on the bench with his head on Al's leg. Al held his front paw in his hand and spoke quietly to Remy, his voice calm and reassuring.

"Ok, kiddo. I know this is strange and you're scared right now, but I need you to try and concentrate for me. Can you do that?"

Remy mumbled something about trying his best, which somehow sounded more like a muffled whimper. Al scratched his ear again.

"Ok, Remy. Look at your hand. That's a good boy. See your hand. See it as a hand. Picture it in your mind. Good boy. Just keep looking at it. Remember what it looks like as a hand. Concentrate on it."

Remy stared at his paw, trying to picture his hand. He listened to Al's soothing voice and gradually felt himself relax. He concentrated really hard on his paw. His hand. A hand with four fingers and a thumb, and no fur. It was a hand. Remy sat bolt upright and looked down at himself. He was back to normal. He breathed a huge sigh of relief. Al ruffled his hair.

"There you go, kiddo. I knew you could do it."

Remy nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet. Al stayed close, waiting for Remy to calm down fully. The other boy was staring at them, still open mouthed.

"What's your name, kid?" asked Al.

The boy seemed to struggle to make his tongue cooperate for a second or two, before finally managing to stammer, "M...Matt."

"You live nearby, Matt?"

Matt nodded. The old man seated by the window looked over. "He lives just round the corner from us, Mad-Eye. I'll make sure he gets home."

Al nodded. "Thanks, Henry."

Henry and the old lady stood up to leave, and Matt obediently headed off with them. Remy watched them leave thoughtfully.

"Did I just make things worse for him?"

Al shook his head. "I doubt it, Remy. His uncle has a mean tongue, but rarely resorts to anything physical. He doesn't have the stomach for it."

Remy felt slightly happier hearing that, but wasn't completely convinced. Al ruffled his hair again.

"Feeling better now?"

Remy nodded. "What happened? I mean … I've never … um …" He stared at his hand again, lost for the right words.

Al thought for a minute. "Ever heard of magic, Remy?"

Remy scrunched his face up in thought. "You mean like the card tricks they do on TV?"

Al chuckled. "No. Not quite what I had in mind, Remy. Did your parents never mention magic to you?"

Remy shook his head. "Never knew my parents. I was adopted. They're both dead too."

He said it so matter of factly and without the slightest hint of self pity that Al had to resist the urge to give the kid a huge bear hug.

"Seems you've got a lot to learn then, kiddo. I think we ought to get you some place safe so I can explain some things to you. Or get someone else to."

Remy grabbed his pack and readjusted the straps holding his board in place.

"Ready?"

Remy nodded. Al stood up, grabbed his staff with one hand and wrapped his other arm around Remy, keeping him close. They paused as they passed by the counter, and the waitress looked up from filing her nails.

"Thanks, Glenda."

"No problem Mad-Eye. At least it's never boring with you around." She grinned at Remy and he found himself grinning back. "You're welcome back anytime, kid."

Remy was genuinely surprised and pleased. "Thanks."

The odd couple headed out of the diner and down the street, away from the park. They rounded a corner, crossed the deserted road and set off down a quiet suburban street. The dark grey winter evening sky seemed appropriate here, against the grey and red tiled rooftops and the red brick chimneys belching light grey smoke into the darkening clouds.

They turned a corner into a less residential area. Warehouses and lock up units lined the streets. One or two cars were parked close up to the buildings, as if sheltering from the worsening weather. Small spots of rain started to fall, icy and cold to the skin. The wind gusted down the street, lifting an old newspaper high into the air. Remy watched as it was tossed first one way and then the other by the wind, before finally pirouetting over the flat roofs and out of sight. Remy suddenly felt Al tense beside him and heard him mutter quietly, "Stay close, kid. And if I say run, run."

Al slowed his pace and released his hold on Remy. Remy slipped his other arm into his backpack straps so he was wearing it securely on his back, rather than just slung over his shoulder. Three men appeared out of the growing gloom in front of them. Remy had no idea where they'd come from. They were just suddenly there. All dressed completely in black, with long black flowing coats, with the collars turned up. Remy glanced behind and saw three more men, dressed in exactly the same way. Al slowed to a stop. Remy stood close by him, ready to run.

"What do you want, Jared?"

"The boy, Mad-Eye; we want the boy."

Al laughed. "You're out of luck then. The boy is under my protection."

Remy watched the men behind Jared exchange worried looks, as though that information had suddenly made a difference. Jared just shook his head.

"We'll leave that decision to the Ministry shall we, Mad-Eye."

Al smiled, although there was no sign of humor in his eye. "That's exactly where we were going, Jared. So if you and your playmates will just get out of the way, we'll be leaving now."

Jared considered this suggestion for a moment. "I have a better idea. You leave, peacefully, and we'll take the boy to the Ministry. Save you the walk, old man."

Al shook his head. "What part of 'under my protection' are you struggling to understand."

Jared frowned. "If that's how you want it Mad-Eye, so be it. Don't say you weren't given a chance."

As one, all three men in front pulled out what seemed to be sticks and started to wave them in Al and Remy's direction. Al pulled Remy close and thumped his staff down firmly on the floor. The floor seemed to ripple towards the three men, and they all staggered backwards, one of them even falling over.

Al spun the staff around over his head, muttering words Remy couldn't understand. He felt the air behind him pulsate and realized Al had known there were men behind them too. Jared was the first to recover, and Remy felt himself pushed backwards as the air itself seemed to just hit him in the chest. Al pushed Remy to the side, out of the firing line. There were flashes of light, crashing sounds, crackles of pure energy in the air. Remy watched in sheer bewilderment, struggling to work out what was happening, or who was winning.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed the lead man behind them positioning himself for a direct shot at Al, who was currently preoccupied with Jared. Remy yanked his skateboard from his pack and darted over, leaping into the air and swinging his board, catching the man firmly in the back with the deck. The man grunted in pain and surprise, falling to his knee and dropping his stick. His two colleagues suddenly seemed to notice Remy and made to grab him, but Remy was off and running, easily evading the inept attempts. He danced free of them and turned to see how Al was doing, just in time to see a huge ball of blue light hurtling towards him. He tried throwing himself clear, but felt the shockwave hit him. There was a deafening rumble of thunder in his ears and a blinding white light. His head spun and swam; he lost track of which way was up, and then everything went black.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Order. Order. Gentlemen. Ladies. Please. Quiet!"

The Minister banged his gavel on the podium, trying to regain control of the proceedings and quiet down the murmurings and general chattering around the room that was threatening to drown out the current session. Eventually the chattering faded. The Minister waited until the disruption ceased completely.

"Please continue, Jared."

Jared tugged at his jacket, pulling it straight, and brushed an invisible speck of dust from his left shoulder. He turned to the Minister with his most ingratiating smile and inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Thank you, Minister. As I was saying, the boy is an illegal Animagus. He takes the form of a wolf, and as such he's dangerous to Muggles and wizards alike. He is obviously untrained in any way. We have had numerous reports of incidents of him transforming into a wolf in public and attacking people without provocation. When we apprehended him, he was using magic in open view of Muggles. He needs guidance and discipline. We can offer him that at our Institute. He'll be well taken care of. His parents have given their consent, I just need Ministry authorization."

The Minister looked thoughtful. "Numerous incidents?"

Jared nodded. "Indeed Minister. Disturbing I know."

"Well, it would seem that we have a problem that needs handling … carefully. His parents have approved you say?"

Jared rubbed his hands together. "Indeed Minister. I have the paperwork all ready; it just needs your signature. I assure you, Minister, we will handle the boy with great care."

The Minister shuffled some papers on his podium, as though trying to weigh up the situation.

"May I ask a question?"

Jared spun around to look at the new speaker. "Ah, Dumbledore. I can understand your interest in the boy, but this is not a situation that Hogwarts can offer a solution to. The boy is simply too young for Hogwarts."

Dumbledore ran his fingers down his beard. "Too young? And yet old enough to be a danger and to be using magic in public?"

Jared actually had the good grace to squirm slightly. "Too young to be in control of his magic as yet."

"Yet old enough according to you to be an Animagus capable of transforming into a wolf. That usually takes a lot of study and training. So how old is the boy?"

Jared paused. "Nine or ten."

"Nine or ten? Which one?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Nine? Or ten?"

"Ten. He's ten."

"So a ten year old boy is using uncontrolled magic in public and transforming into a savage wolf at random, and yet this is the first I've heard of it."

Jared smiled. "Well not everything that happens in the city makes it to your ears I'm sure, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "True, Jared. But this would be most unusual. A boy of his age, capable of using magic to transform into a wolf?"

Jared tugged at his sleeves, as if trying to lengthen them. "It is indeed unusual, which is why I believe our Institute is the best place for him."

"Hmm. Numerous incidents I believe you said. Do you have the reports of these incidents?"

Jared shifted slightly. "Somewhere. I'm sure they can be located. Eventually."

"Perhaps we could see this dangerous boy for ourselves. Hear what he has to say for himself. Even a wolf in entitled to a defense." Dumbledore looked directly at the Minister.

The Minister nodded in agreement. "Excellent idea. You did say you have him in the building, Jared?"

Jared fidgeted nervously. "Well, yes. But he's dangerous. I would hate to put the committee in any danger …"

Dumbledore looked slightly incredulous. "The entire committee in danger from a ten year old boy?" Several members started chuckling. "I believe we're more than capable of defending ourselves from a small boy, Jared."

"Yes, yes, I agree." The Minister waved his arms around. "Bring him in here Jared. I believe we can control a small boy between us. I'd like to see exactly what we're dealing with for myself."

Jared sighed theatrically. "Very well Minister, if you insist."

* * *

Remy woke slowly with a throbbing headache. He listened carefully, but could hear no signs of life. He opened his eyes slowly, wincing as pain stabbed behind his eyes. He closed them again and waited for the pain to subside. He opened his eyes more cautiously and was relieved the pain didn't return. He looked around, trying to work out where he was.

The small room was dimly lit, with no windows and one door, which was closed. There was no furniture in the room, but his back pack had been thrown carelessly into one corner. Remy scrambled over to it and checked it out quickly. It appeared to be intact and undisturbed. He took a swig of water from the water bottle, and delved deep into one of the pockets for a piece of chocolate. He munched it as he checked out his skateboard. It had taken a fair bit of damage where he'd hit that guy with it, but nothing he couldn't fix. With new parts anyway.

He stood slowly, waiting for the world to stop spinning, before checking out the door. It seemed to be locked, but there was no obvious keyhole. No lock to pick. Remy put his ear to the door and listened, but he could hear nothing. He kicked the door in frustration, and then slumped down in the corner, watching and waiting.

He didn't have long to wait. He heard the footsteps approaching before the rattle of the door being unlocked. The door opened slowly and two men dressed in black entered the room cautiously. He recognized one of them as the man he'd hit with his skateboard earlier. Remy stared at them, not moving from his corner.

"Come with us."

Remy stared at the man. "Get lost, creep."

"I said, come with us."

"I think I'll stay here thanks. I kinda like this corner."

"Get up, kid."

"Nope."

The men exchanged frustrated looks. "I said, get up!"

"I heard you. I ain't deaf."

"So get up!"

"Nope. Don't wanna."

"Get up!"

"Make me."

"If that's the way you want it, kid."

The man strode over and reached down to grab Remy, and suddenly reeled backwards clutching his knee and howling in pain. Remy shifted his hold on his skateboard and swung it at the other man's shins, catching him a glancing blow as he backed up quickly. Remy was instantly on his feet, his pack over his shoulder. He was halfway to the open door when he was grabbed. He squirmed, twisted and spun, swinging a fist in anger at the guys head, and was rewarded by the satisfying crunch of a nose breaking. The man howled in pain and clutched his face as Remy realized it was the same guy he'd hit earlier. He was having a bad day.

Remy broke free and shot through the open door. He glanced left and right. The corridor seemed deserted in both directions. He could hear voices from the left, so he set off running to the right. He heard voices raised in anger behind him and footsteps pounding the corridor, closing rapidly. He tried a couple of doors, but they were locked, and every door he tried cost him valuable time. They were nearly on him. He set off in a sprint, round a corner … and straight into three more of the guys in black. Two grabbed him tightly, despite his squirming. He kicked out, catching one on the knee, but the other held him tight. The third one stepped in, and Remy recognized him as the one Al had called Jared. He slapped Remy across the face hard. Remy yelped in pain and lashed out at Jared with his feet, but they had a tight grip on him now and he couldn't struggle free. He felt the blood trickle from his nose and run down his face. His left arm was forced painfully up behind his back.

"Stop struggling, brat!"

Remy yelped louder as his arm was twisted further up his back.

"Ok, ok." He stopped struggling and was relieved that the pressure on his arm was lessened slightly. Not enough to allow him to break free, but enough to stop him groaning in pain.

"Bring him."

Remy found himself frog marched down several dark corridors. Most of the doors they passed were closed. There were few people around and Remy was too concerned in keeping his arm at a comfortable angle to look around much anyway.

The room they eventually emerged into was much brighter. Remy blinked hard, scrunching his eyes up until they got used to the new lighting. He could hear the door close behind them as he was half pushed down a few steps, and he could hear voices. Low, chattering voices. As his eyes grew accustomed to the light, he looked around nervously. He seemed to be in the middle of an amphitheatre type room. He was surrounded on three sides by banks of seating with maybe twenty or more people, all staring at him. Remy felt extremely uncomfortable. He hated being the centre of attention at the best of times, and this didn't feel like the best of times. A quick scan of the room revealed no friendly faces. In fact, the only people he recognized were the man pinning his arm up his back, with his freshly dented nose, and Jared, who stopped a couple of feet away from him and smiled to the assembled room. Remy's eyes narrowed as he tried to calculate the chances of breaking free and landing a punch. He decided to bide his time.

"Is this the boy?"

Remy was shoved around until he was facing the speaker, an official looking man at a podium, peering at Remy over the top of his glasses. He was also dressed all in black, with a silver chain around his neck and what Remy considered to be a very silly hat on his head.

Jared cleared his throat. "Yes, Minister. As I said, he's very young and extremely dangerous."

Remy snorted at that, and then yelped as his arm was shoved up his back.

"Hmm. He doesn't look very dangerous, Jared."

Jared smoothed an invisible crease from his sleeve. "Well Saron does have a firm grip on him." Remy yelped as his arm was once again forced up his back as though to reinforce the point.

"Does it need to be quite that tight?"

Remy tried to twist to see who had said that, but was held firmly in place. Jared preened and ran his fingers through his hair.

"The boy is under control. That's all that matters. He's unpredictable and dangerous."

"Yes, from the state of Saron's nose, I can see that."

Remy grinned and licked the blood trickling from his own nose from his lip.

"I see the boy is also injured. Or is that blood dripping from his nose from someone else?"

Jared shrugged dismissively. "The boy fought, he got hurt. It proves what I've said all along. He's dangerous. He needs guidance and training. We are in the best position to offer such training. Sign the boy over to us and we'll take good care of him."

The Minister thought for a moment. "Well that does seem to be a solution to the problem. The boy was using magic underage in public after all. Does anyone have any objections to Jared taking control of the boy?" There was a general consensual muttering from the other people in the room.

Remy had been listening intently with a bemused expression. "Am I allowed to ask a question?"

Saron slapped him on the back of the head. "Shut up, boy!" Remy groaned in pain.

The Minister waved his arms around. "Saron! There is no need for that. Of course you can ask a question, boy."

Remy paused, rearranging the words in his head. "Do I take it you lot have just decided my future?"

The Minister acknowledged the question with a nod. Remy laughed. The Minister frowned. "What's so funny, boy?"

"Oh nothing really. Except a room full of people have just decided that they know what's best for me despite the fact they know nothing about me. You guys are worse than social workers. At least when they play silly buggers and screw up my life, they have the decency to know my freaking name!"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The chattering and mumblings in the room took quite a while to die down. The Minister had to bang his gavel down several times. Some of those assembled in the room were beginning to look disturbed by the proceedings. Jared looked impatient.

"Order. Order! People, please. Quiet!"

"Minister, perhaps it would be best if I just took the boy now, before he has any more outbursts." Jared motioned to Saron.

"No freaking way!" Remy shook his head vehemently. "No way in hell am I going anywhere with laughing boy and his cronies." Saron twisted Remy's arm once more. Remy grimaced and shifted position to try and lessen the pain. "The guy grabs me off the street, with lots of weird lights and bangs and stuff and throws me in a dark room with a pounding headache, damn near wrenches my arm out of it's socket, and hasn't got the first clue about me, and you want him to 'take care' of me? No way, Jose. Arrgghh gerrof, you're breaking my arm!"

"Saron, release the boy." This time Remy managed to turn enough to see the speaker. He was an old man, at least by Remy's standards; tall and thin, with long silver hair and a long matching beard. He had brilliant blue piercing eyes, and a long crooked nose. He was dressed in flowing purple robes with a matching cap type hat. He oozed an aura of confidence and calm.

Jared sighed in exasperation. "Dumbledore, I've explained, the boy is …"

"Dangerous? Yes, so you've said. Release him."

"Minister, I must protest, this is highly irregular."

Remy decided not to wait for the Minister to make a decision. Saron had got a little too close to Remy in the struggling, presumably secure in the knowledge he couldn't do much with his arm half way up his back. Remy had other ideas. He stomped back hard with his foot, scraping Saron's shin and crushing his toes. As Saron howled in pain, Remy wriggled his arm around, twisting in Saron's loosening grip, and kicked hard at Saron's knee. Saron let go of Remy and crumpled up, clutching his knee, cursing under his breath. Remy danced clear of Saron, keeping out of range of the rapidly approaching Jared and looked for a way out.

"Jared, Saron, enough."

Dumbledore was on his feet. The Minister banged his gavel down. Jared stopped and held his hands up as though in mock surrender. Saron looked round wildly, clutching at his jacket pocket as though searching for something. Remy glanced up at Dumbledore and noticed the determined look on his face. He'd seen that same look earlier on Al's face. Al! He'd forgotten about Al. As Saron turned to face Dumbledore with his stick in his hand, Remy took the opportunity to let his anger run free. He leaped onto Saron's back and thumped him on the shoulders as hard as he could. Saron howled in anger as he dropped the stick and literally flung Remy from him. Remy slid across the floor, coming to a stop in a crumpled heap by a partition wall. He was steeling himself for another frenzied attack when Dumbledore caught his eye and shook his head slightly. Remy paused, his head tilted on one side. He noticed that Dumbledore also had one of those sticks in his hand, and decided to play along for now. He picked himself up, dabbed at his freshly bleeding nose with the back of his hand, and rubbed his left arm, trying to get the pain out and the feeling back in. His hand was somewhat numb. Dumbledore held his gaze. Remy felt himself calming down as he massaged his hand back to life. Jared meanwhile had moved to restrain Saron, muttering something in his ear. Saron growled, cursed and grumbled, but finally limped from the room. Jared cleared his throat.

"As I said, the boy is dangerous and needs training."

Dumbledore's mouth twitched slightly. "So Jared, does the boy have a name?"

Jared looked genuinely puzzled. "A name?"

"Yes, Jared. A name. What is the boy's name?"

Jared scratched his chin in thought. "I really have no idea. Does it matter?"

"Well you've had numerous reports concerning him?"

"Well … yes … but …"

"But no name. Just, 'the boy'?"

Jared hummed and hawed and shuffled from foot to foot. "His name is irrelevant. He's a danger to the public. You saw for yourself just now. A completely unprovoked attack."

Remy opened his mouth to defend himself, but closed it quickly as Dumbledore shot him a look.

"Hardly unprovoked." All eyes in the room turned to look at this new speaker, a woman seated on the opposite side of the room to Dumbledore. She was also dressed all in black, with brown hair and dark blue eyes and a serious expression on her face. Remy couldn't help wondering if these people bought their clothing in bulk. He'd never seen so many people dressed in black before. "Saron had the boy's arm twisted behind his back. He has a bloodied nose and a split lip. He was slapped in the back of the head with more force than was necessary. I'd be surprised if he wasn't concussed. You were asked to release him, more than once, yet you failed to do so. I'd hardly call that 'unprovoked'."

Jared stuttered and spluttered, trying to think of a way to respond.

"Well said, Madam Bones." Dumbledore focussed his attention back on Remy. "So boy, do you have a name, or should we just continue calling you boy?" His eyes twinkled slightly as he said it, and Remy realized he was deliberately using the term boy to annoy Jared.

"Remy."

Dumbledore smiled. "Ok, Remy it is. How old are you, Remy?"

"Eleven."

"Eleven?" Dumbledore stared hard at Jared. "Not ten perhaps?"

Remy shook his head. "Nope. Eleven. Yeah I know. Small for my age. Yadda yadda."

A few of the assembled crowd chuckled at this. Remy looked around the room nervously, suddenly aware once more how many people were watching him closely. Dumbledore smiled at him reassuringly.

"Remy, you said before that you were grabbed off the street with 'weird lights and stuff'. Can you explain that a little more please?"

Remy screwed his face up in thought. "I dunno. It was … kinda weird. I couldn't really tell what was happening. Laughing boy over there," Remy motioned to Jared with his head, "and some of his friends had us surrounded and, they were waving these stick things around …"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Wands, Remy. They're called wands."

"Oh. Ok, well they were waving their wands around and, well all hell broke loose. There were these weird flashes of light, and the air felt strange, like it was moving around us in lumps."

"Us?"

Remy nodded. "Me and Al. Well until he tried to push me out of the way anyway."

Dumbledore frowned. "Al?"

Remy paused, unsure how to explain. "Al … um … big guy … with a limp. We were … um … heading someplace." Remy tilted his head to the left. "Is this place called The Ministry?"

"Yes it is."

"Ah, ok, well this is where we were heading then."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You were heading here with a big guy called Al who limps?"

Remy nodded.

"Does this Al have another name?" The Minister appeared to be paying much more attention to the conversation now.

Remy thought hard. "Hmm. Well the people in the diner called him Mad-Eye, and so did Jared."

Dumbledore chuckled. Remy looked back at him, a little puzzled as to what was so funny.

"So Remy, you and 'Al' were heading here. Did Al say why you were heading here?"

Remy shrugged. "He said someone needed to explain stuff to me, then when Jared tried to take me from him, he told him we were coming here."

"He told Jared that?"

Remy nodded. "Yep."

Dumbledore's eyes hardened as he turned to glare at Jared. "Is this true, Jared? Was Remy heading here with Mad-Eye?"

Jared fumbled for words. "I really have no idea where they were heading. They may have mentioned The Ministry, but I can't say for sure."

"And where is Mad-Eye now?"

Jared shrugged and avoided Dumbledore's look.

Remy also shrugged. "I dunno, kinda wondered about that. Seemed like he was taking care of himself ok, but then there was a big ball of blue light and everything went dark, and I woke up here."

It was the Minster's turn to glare at Jared. "Am I to understand you used magic to bring the boy here, Jared?"

Jared was looking somewhat flustered. "He's a wolf! It was the only safe way."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and looked at Remy. "For a wolf, he looks a lot like a small boy, no offence, Remy."

Remy just grinned.

Jared refocused his attentions. "Minister, look, he transformed in full public view. He's a danger to the public. We had to bring him here by whatever means necessary."

Dumbledore smiled at Remy. "So Remy, did you transform into a wolf in public?"

Remy frowned, his brow furrowed, deep in thought. "I dunno. I mean, I guess maybe."

The Minister opened his mouth to interject, and Dumbledore motioned for him to stay quiet. The Minister sat back down with a bit of a harrumph. Dumbledore smiled reassuringly at Remy. "Ok Remy, perhaps you can explain to us what happened."

Remy paused, unsure where to start. "Um. Well we were at this diner. Me and Al, I mean. And there was this dude, pushing this kid around, and I kinda tried sticking up for him … and … things got weird." Remy's voice tailed off as he remembered his reflection in the counter.

Dumbledore smiled calmly at Remy. "And did you transform?"

Remy nodded slightly. "I think so. I didn't mean to do it. I don't know how I did it. It just … happened."

Dumbledore nodded. "Had it ever happened before?"

Remy shook his head. "I don't think so, and I'm pretty sure I'd have remembered something like that."

"So how did you change back?"

Remy shrugged. "That was Al. I mean Mad-Eye. He just talked to me and I turned back. Dunno how that worked either."

Jared finally found his voice. "You see, it's just like I told you. The boy is a danger, transforming in public like that. He's admitted it. We'll train him well, Minister."

Jared took a step towards Remy, who instinctively took a step back.

"Minister, I believe there is far more to this than we have been told. Remy states this has only happened once, not multiple times as has been claimed, and I see no reason for the boy to lie. He also does not seem to know how he transformed, which makes it highly unlikely he used magic. There is a possibility that Remy is an Animorph, and you know how rare it is for Animorphs to successfully perform magic, yet Jared states Remy has been doing so. I believe Mad-Eye's version of events could prove extremely illuminating and I believe we should desist from making any decisions concerning Remy until Mad-Eye has been found." Dumbledore and the Minister stared at each other for a few moments. Remy found himself holding his breath, waiting for a decision.

"I think you're right, Dumbledore. Rufus, send people out to locate Mad-Eye."

"Oh this is ridiculous." Jared waved his arms derisively. "You already agreed that he needs careful handling. We will handle him, carefully. His parents have given their approval. Come along boy, time to leave." Jared reached to grab Remy.

Remy stepped back out of range and found himself up against a barrier with no where else to go. He glared at Jared. "How the hell have my parents approved, I ain't got any parents, creep."

Jared laughed. "I have the paperwork upstairs. Don't make this hard on yourself, boy."

Remy heard the familiar stomping noise and looked round. The doors behind him suddenly burst open and Al was standing in the doorway, his staff pointed directly at Jared. Jared produced his wand from nowhere and pointed it directly at Al. Remy suddenly realized he was right between the pair of them, and this probably wasn't a good place to be right now.

Jared smiled his best sneering smile. "Be sensible, Mad-Eye. You wouldn't want the boy to get hurt now, would you?"

"Duck!"

Al's voice allowed no room for discussion and Remy didn't need to be told twice. He dropped to the floor and immediately felt the rush of air over his back. He watched with a huge grin as the blast caught Jared straight on, driving him backwards into the wall at the far side. Jared grunted as the impact winded him, dropping his wand from his hand. He slumped down the wall and sat on the floor, looking stupefied.

"Remy!"

Remy leapt to his feet, vaulted the barrier and scampered up the few steps to Al's side. Al ruffled his hair and grabbed his chin, swiftly examining his bloodied nose and resplit lip.

"You ok, kiddo?"

Remy nodded, happy to see Al was in one piece. He noticed the eye patch had been replaced by a curious object. It looked like an eye, but it was bright blue and looking around the room, while Al's dark right eye was fixed firmly on Remy. Al pulled Remy close into him with one arm, the other leaning on his staff.

"So Jared, what part of 'the boy is under my protection' are you still failing to understand?"

Jared struggled to his feet, grabbing his wand and glowered at Al. "The boy is a danger. He needs locking up."

Remy felt Al tense and glancing down he noticed Al had his own wand at the ready, concealed from Jared's view. "He's a boy, Jared. What he needs is help and guidance. What he doesn't need is you splitting his lip."

"Have you seen what he did to Saron's nose?" Jared sounded highly indignant.

Al just laughed. "Well if Saron had kept his nose out of things that didn't concern him, he wouldn't have got it injured." He leaned down and whispered in Remy's ear. "What did you do to Saron's nose?"

Remy grinned and whispered back. "I think I broke it."

Al chuckled. "Good boy. His face needed some rearranging."

"Alastor, did you tell Jared that Remy was under your protection?"

Al turned to face Dumbledore, keeping Remy shielded from Jared with his own body. "Aye Albus, I did. Twice."

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "And did Remy use magic in full view of Muggles at any point when he was with you?"

Al frowned. "Magic? Remy? Hell no. The lad has no concept of magic, or at least he didn't until Jared turned up all wands blazing. How the hell would he be using something he knew nothing about?" Al's eyes turned to stare at Jared. "Oh, is that what Jared is accusing Remy of? Using underage magic in front of Muggles?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Alastor. That, and transforming into a vicious wolf, numerous times, and terrorising people."

Al laughed. "He's transformed once that I know of, and he was the most surprised person in the room when it happened. Hell Albus, he's a kid. He's not big enough to terrorise anyone." Al paused and grinned. "Well except for Saron and Jared maybe."

Most of the room started to chuckle at that, forcing the Minister to once again bang his gavel and call for quiet.

"Silence. Silence!" When the room finally quietened, the Minister continued. "It would appear that you deliberately omitted and distorted many of the salient facts in this case to your advantage, Jared. I find no case against Remy on the charges brought forward." He slammed his gavel down hard, causing the thud to resonate throughout the room. "Furthermore, it would appear you have transgressed several rules, including an unprovoked attack on an Auror and his protectee, as well as illegal use of magic. I would appreciate it if you would discuss this further with Rufus. I believe Saron should also be a part of that discussion."

The Minister waved his hand to dismiss Jared, who smiled a grovelling smile and withdrew from the room.

"As for Remy's future, I believe further discussions and investigations are in order before any decisions are made. Mad-Eye, perhaps you could join me in my office. Er, Dumbledore, perhaps you would be good enough to assist in this matter. This meeting is adjourned." He banged the gavel down again and headed from the room as a buzz of chattering erupted.

Al squeezed Remy's shoulder. "Come on kiddo, time to get you sorted out."

* * *

Remy sat quietly in the outer office, slumped forward with his chin rested on his hands, staring at the floor. He could hear brief snatches of the conversation from the main office.

"The boy has no concept of magic." That was Al.

"He appears to be somewhat headstrong." That was Dumbledore.

"There are no English wolves." The Minister.

"New York … "

" … education … "

" … my protection … "

" … repatriation …"

Whatever decisions were being made, Remy sensed that Al was outnumbered. Various people kept sticking their heads round the doorway under some pretext or other and staring inquisitively at Remy and the woman behind the desk. Remy assumed she was the Minister's secretary and people had to go through her to get to him. He had a feeling that few people got to see the Minister on a daily basis unless they had a really good reason. Most of the people trying to gain entry today were getting mere glares, and her glares were enough to send most scuttling away at speed.

"Just a kid … "

"… not suitable for a boy that age … "

"… suitable education …"

"… repatriation …"

"… parents …"

"… Animorph …"

Remy sighed and picked at the frayed knee of his jeans. Al seemed to be doing less talking now. The Minister and Dumbledore seemed to be deciding what to do.

"… American embassy …"

"… America …"

"… where he belongs …"

A red haired man appeared in the doorway, with wide bright eyes and an expression of pure curiosity. "Ah, Barbara, No chance of …? No, didn't think so."

Barbara shook her head. "Sorry, Arthur. No interruptions I'm afraid."

"Ah, never mind. It will keep." He smiled at Remy. Remy couldn't help but try to smile back.

"I don't suppose you could hold the fort here for a few minutes, Arthur? I need to get these papers signed by Rufus."

"Certainly. No problem. None at all. Glad to help." He stepped into the room fully. Barbara gathered her papers quickly.

"Thanks, Arthur. I shouldn't be long. Will you be ok, Remy?" She looked at him with concern on her face. Remy looked up, nodded, and went back to picking at his jeans, missing the worried look that passed between the two adults. Barbara bustled off down the corridor. Arthur looked around, as though unsure whether to take a seat or remain standing. He seemed to reach a decision and strode over to Remy with his hand outstretched.

"We haven't been introduced. I'm Arthur, Arthur Weasley."

Remy looked up, a little taken aback, but slowly extended his own hand and shook Arthurs hand.

"I'm Remy."

"Pleased to meet you, Remy." He smiled brightly at Remy. Remy managed a half smile in return. It was strange, he didn't feel in a smiley mood, but this man's good humor seemed infectious and he couldn't help but to try and smile back. Arthur took the seat next to Remy and the two of them sat quietly for a few minutes. The voices from the room next door had quietened so that Remy had to strain to make out any words at all. He nearly jumped out of his skin as a hand holding a small white paper bag appeared in front of his face.

"Sweet?" Remy looked sideways at Arthur's smiling face and blinked a little. "They're strawberry ruffles."

Remy shook his head. "No thanks, Mr. Weasley."

"You sure?" Arthur peered into the bag himself. "They're very nice."

Remy shook his head again. "I don't like strawberry."

"Ah." Arthur looked so crestfallen that Remy was almost tempted to try one anyway. The two settled back into a companionable silence. Arthur rummaged in his pockets and suddenly produced another white paper bag.

"How about an orange fizz bomb?" He looked so hopeful, that Remy couldn't bear to say no.

"Thanks."

"These are new. I've never had one before."

The both sat there, sucking on their sweets. Suddenly Remy's sweet literally fizzed and exploded in his mouth, peppering the inside of his mouth with a sweet yet tangy orange flavour. Seconds later, Arthurs also burst into life.

"Wow. They really do fizz don't they?"

Remy nodded his agreement and grinned. "They're cool. Thanks."

At that moment the inner door opened and the Minister emerged, closely followed by Dumbledore, with Mad-Eye bringing up the rear. Remy sighed.

"Ah, Remy my boy. We've been trying to decide the best thing for you. Erm, is Barbara not here?"

Arthur stood up. "She had to get some papers signed, Minister."

"Ah, very well. Weasley, would you be so kind as to escort Remy to the Atrium, while I contact the American Embassy. We have decided it would be better for all concerned if you were returned home."

Remy looked from the Minister, to Dumbledore, to Mad-Eye, who didn't quite manage to look him straight in the eye. Remy shrugged. "Fair enough."

Mad-Eye growled. "It's for the best, kiddo."

"Yeah. Whatever. Thanks for the burger. See ya." Remy turned and walked out of the room. Arthur glanced at the Minister and then quickly followed Remy. Mad-Eye kicked himself inwardly and stomped off in the opposite direction. He had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

"What do you mean, you lost him?" How the hell could you lose him?" Mad-Eye prowled around the office. Dumbledore was convinced that the furniture was actually cringing and trying to get out of his way. He couldn't remember seeing his old friend this angry for a long time.

The Minister actually squirmed in his seat. "To be fair, Moody, we weren't expecting the boy to try and escape. He seemed quite happy with the arrangements. We weren't watching him that closely. In fact, we're not entirely sure how the boy managed to leave the building undetected."

"The boy? His name is Remy, damn it! It's my fault. I knew I should have stayed with him."

"Alastor, it is not your fault." Dumbledore spoke quietly, trying to soothe the enraged Auror. Mad-Eye turned on him and stomped over, until the two men were literally nose to nose.

"Yes, it is my fault Albus. I brought him here, or rather I was bringing him here. I should have tried explaining things to him. Made sure he knew what was happening, and that he really was happy about being sent back to America. That he knew we weren't just shipping him out so that he became someone else's problem. Remy trusted me, and I let him down. I won't make that mistake again."

And with that, Mad-Eye spun and stormed out of the room. Dumbledore and the Minister exchanged worried looks.

"I do hope the boy is ok, Dumbledore."

"So do I, Minister," mused Dumbledore. "For all our sakes."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was dark in the cupboard. Dark, cold and cramped. Remy sat huddled in the corner. He'd lost track of time, and he'd pretty much lost the will to fight back. He sat with his arms wrapped around his knees, feeling alone and abandoned and completely sorry for himself for the first time in years. His left eye was swollen and closed. His body was screaming in a dozen or more places. His ribs and back in particular hurt like hell. His knee hurt if he tried standing. He was cold, hungry, thirsty and tired. So, so tired.

The door opened slowly, allowing a little light to enter. Remy hadn't even heard anyone approaching, and he didn't bother to look up. He hoped they'd leave him a bottle of water and just go away. He didn't have the strength for another fight.

"Hey, kiddo, you ok?"

Remy blinked as he recognized the voice. Al? Couldn't be. Could it? He looked up. It was Al, silhouetted in the doorway. Remy had no idea what he was doing in the deserted factory building, but his hopes suddenly soared. Maybe it would be ok after all. But the last time, Al had left it to the Ministry to decide Remy's fate. Maybe he'd just take him back there. Granted that was probably better than Sully using him as a punching bag to try to get him to break into places, but they wanted to send him back to America, and he didn't want to go back. Remy's heart fell and he dropped his head back onto his knees. He was better off where he was. He'd find a way to get away from Sully, eventually. As soon as his knee healed and he could run again.

"Hey, Remy. Come on kid. I haven't got all day." Remy made no move to leave. Mad-Eye sighed. "I know, son. I screwed up. Give me a chance to make it right."

Remy looked up and met Mad-Eye's gaze. Even the strange rotating eye was fixed on him. For some reason, Remy felt slightly reassured by that. He edged a little closer to the doorway.

"That's the way, kid. Come on. Let's get you out of there." Mad-Eye held his hands out to Remy. Remy paused for a second, then reached out and grabbed on tightly. Mad-Eye pulled him gently from the cupboard and into the slightly brighter light of the disused factory. Remy blinked at the brightness, and then yelped as Mad-Eye enveloped him in a huge bear hug. Mad-Eye released him with a look of concern and grabbed Remy firmly by the chin, tilting his head from side to side, noting how pale he looked and the expression that said he was trying not to show pain.

"Nice shiner, kid. Can you see out of that eye?"

Remy mumbled a quiet no. Mad-Eye released his chin, still looking concerned.

"That lips split again. Couple of nice bruises. Hurt other places too?"

Remy nodded. "My ribs ache. And my back hurts. And my knee."

Mad-Eye turned Remy around slowly and lifted his tee-shirt to look at his back, frowning at the angry red welts. Remy shivered, and Mad-Eye turned him back around.

"You took quite a beating, kid."

Remy shrugged. "I've had worse."

"How did you hurt your knee?"

"I think I twisted it when I bailed the Ministry."

"Yeah. Sorry about that, kid. I should have fought your case more …"

"I'm not your problem."

Mad-Eye growled. "I'm making you my problem, kiddo. As of right now. Got that?"

Remy nodded and managed a lopsided grin. Mad-Eye ruffled his hair.

"Ok, I want you to go grab your stuff and meet me back here. Can you do that? Your knee strong enough?"

Remy nodded, and then hesitated. "What about Sully?"

"Is he the one that runs this place?"

Remy nodded.

"Ah, well he's a bit tied up right now. He won't be bothering you. Go grab your stuff."

Remy nodded and limped off. "Hey, kiddo." Remy stopped and looked back at Mad-Eye. "This Sully. Is he the one that hurt you?" Remy nodded. "Ok, go get your stuff."

Remy limped off. Mad-Eye muttered darkly under his breath and stomped off down the corridor.

* * *

It took Remy longer to climb the flight of stairs to the upper level and limp to the corner where his stuff was abandoned by a pile of packing cases and cardboard than it did to stow his belongings safely in his pack. He didn't exactly have much to pack away, and he rarely bothered unpacking anyway. He wriggled carefully into his hooded top and denim jacket, grateful for the warmth they provided, before shouldering the pack gingerly. Mad-Eye was waiting for him in the stair well, and frowned as he watched Remy limp slowly towards him.

"You really did hurt that knee pretty bad didn't you?" Remy winced as he took the last step and nodded. "Thirsty?" Another nod. Al took the empty water bottle from the side of Remy's pack and carefully poured some liquid from his hip flask into it. "Try that." Al handed the water bottle to Remy, noting that Remy took it with his left hand. "I thought you were right handed."

Remy blinked at him uncomprehendingly. "I am."

Mad-Eye lifted Remy's right hand carefully, noting the bruises and badly grazed knuckles. He nodded approvingly to himself. At least he'd tried defending himself.

Remy sniffed the water bottle suspiciously, then took a small sip. He screwed his face up. "Eeewwww."

Mad-Eye chuckled and took the water bottle back, tipping the contents back into the hip flask and shaking it, before pouring some more into the bottle. "Try that."

Remy was confused, but he took another tentative sip. It tasted ok this time. He took a long drink.

"Thanks."

As they headed out of the open doors, Remy paused and looked back over his shoulder. Mad-Eye took the opportunity to gently slide Remy's pack from his shoulder and swing it onto his own. Remy didn't argue.

"What's up, kid? Forgotten something?"

"No …" Remy sounded doubtful. "It's just .. "

"Just what?"

"Sully."

"What about him?"

"You didn't … I mean … You … um … "

Mad-Eye's grin was somewhat feral. "Sully is alive and well kiddo. Well, alive and relatively well. He sure as hell won't be worrying about you for quite a while. Ok?"

Remy nodded seriously. "So where are we going?"

"Some place away from here, for starters. I think our first stop should be to get you some treatment for that knee. And your ribs. And your eye. And anything else too."

Remy thought about that and then muttered quietly. "I don't like hospitals. Or doctors."

Al scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well your knee is hurting you. You need something for the pain. You seem tired too." Remy nodded agreement, albeit grudgingly. "So I think you need to see someone that can make you feel better." Remy grumbled quietly. "I'm not going to just abandon you. I'll stay with you."

"Promise?"

"I promise." And Mad-Eye meant it.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Remy was sleeping peacefully, curled up in a ball in the bed, clutching a rolled up bunch of sheets tightly. Mad-Eye stood guard at the foot of the bed. Dumbledore appeared quietly beside him. "You found him then?"

"Told you I would."

"Is he badly hurt?"

Mad-Eye shrugged. "Nothing too bad. Tired, hungry, scared. Badly bruised ribs, welted back, badly injured hand, twisted knee, eye swollen tightly shut, split lip again, various scrapes and bruises. He'll heal just fine, in time."

Dumbledore winced in sympathy as Mad-Eye reeled off the list of injuries. "We couldn't have known what would happen to him." Mad-Eye snorted. Dumbledore sighed. "And now what, Alastor?"

Mad-Eye's expression hardened. "Now I do what I should have done in the first place. I look after him."

Dumbledore shook his head unbelievingly. "And just how are you expecting to manage that particular feat, Alastor? He's a small boy. An Animorph. A wolf. He may even have magic in him, who knows. But just how is he going to fit into your lifestyle? You don't exactly lead a safe, stable life, old friend, you haven't for a long time now, and that's what the boy needs. Safety and stability."

Mad-Eye turned and glared at Dumbledore. "What Remy needs is someone to trust. Someone to look out for him. Someone to explain about Animorphs. And magic. He trusts me, Albus. I don't know why, god knows I haven't really given him cause, but he does. I let him down once, I don't intend to make that mistake again."

"The Ministry are not going to be happy about this."

"I don't give a damn. The Ministry can be as unhappy as they like. I never did much care for their approval anyway." Mad-Eye turned back and watched Remy sleep.

Dumbledore watched with him for a few moments, then patted his old friend on the back. "You know where to find me if you need me, Alastor." Mad-Eye nodded slightly and Dumbledore left as quietly as he'd arrived.

* * *

Remy opened his eyes. Well his right eye anyway, noticing his vision was blurry. For a moment he thought he was dead. That was until he heard the light snoring noise from beside his bed. Blinking repeatedly to adjust to the light, he looked around and saw that Al was sitting in a chair beside his bed, leant back, his arms crossed.

Remy shifted slightly in the bed, trying to make himself a little more comfortable. Mad-Eye's eyes popped open immediately.

"How are you feeling, Junior?" Mad-Eye reached one hand out and checked Remy's temples.

"I'm fine." Remy mumbled. "Did anyone get the number of that truck?"

"What truck?" Mad-Eye looked confused.

"The one that hit me. That's how it feels anyway."

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Ah, that truck. It got decommissioned."

Remy lay quietly for a few moments, waiting as his vision cleared and the pounding in his head lessened.

"Thank you."

Mad-Eye frowned. "For what?"

"For rescuing me. And for staying with me. You didn't have to do that."

"I told you I would, kiddo. Now get some sleep so I can get you out of here."

* * *

Faces loomed up out of the darkness. Dark, scary faces. Distorted, twisted and freakish. Floating around above him, hurling insults. Telling him he was worthless, useless, un-teachable, a waste of space. He'd never amount to anything. He was a lost cause. Some of the faces were familiar; old teachers, his mother and her various boyfriends, even Ryan from the skate park. Some were just too twisted to recognise. Jared and Saron appeared, Jared with a sneering scowl distorting his face, Saron with his nose at a completely impossible angle to his face. They were mocking him, offering to teach him a lesson. And then Sully swam into view, his face contorted, blood dripping from his eyes, cursing Remy, promising to make him pay.

Remy sat bolt upright in the bed and yelped as his ribs protested painfully. He was breathing in short gasps, struggling to get sufficient oxygen into his lungs, staring around, wide eyed, with no idea where he was.

"Hey, hey, kiddo, it's ok. Calm down. You're safe."

Remy shrank back from Mad-Eye, looking around like a trapped animal. Mad-Eye cursed under his breath and carried on talking calmly.

"It's ok, Remy. No one's going to hurt you. I'm not going to let them." Mad-Eye approached slowly, waiting until Remy stopped trying to retreat backwards through the pillows before reaching for him and pulling him into a firm yet gentle hug, frowning a little as he realized the boy's skin was hot to the touch. Well the healers had said he was likely to develop a fever, better to get it out of his system quickly. He cast a cooling charm to help bring down the fever.

Remy was still scared and lost, and although he usually shied away from close contact, this hug felt safe. Mad-Eye held him close, muttering soothing words in his ear. Slowly Remy relaxed and calmed down, his breathing becoming more regular. Mad-Eye tilted his face upwards, pleased to note the fear had gone from his eyes. Well the one that was open anyway.

"Better?"

Remy tried to say yes, but his throat was so dry, it came out as a croak. Mad-Eye produced his hip flask and held it to Remy's lips. Remy tried turning away from it.

"Hey, it's ok, kiddo, this won't taste bad, I promise. Drink."

Remy took a little sip, half expecting a bitter taste, but it tasted sweet and refreshing. Mad-Eye waited until he'd swallowed before offering the flask again. Remy drank more this time.

"Had enough?"

Remy nodded and yawned sleepily. Mad-Eye chuckled.

"Still tired huh?"

Remy nodded and sighed. "I hate nightmares."

Mad-Eye nodded. "I know, Junior, but you're safe now. Hang on a sec." Mad-Eye manoeuvred himself onto the bed fully, settling in against the head of the bed, adjusting the pillows to get comfortable. The he pulled Remy back against him. Remy instinctively snuggled in. Mad-Eye smiled and pulled the covers up over Remy. "Now get some sleep, kiddo."

Remy nodded, yawned again, closed his eye, and was immediately asleep.

* * *

"I really must protest, Mr. Moody. The boy has only just recovered from a fever and still needs time to heal."

Mad-Eye shook his head and slung Remy's pack onto his back. "He doesn't like hospitals. Or doctors. And yes I know you're a healer not a doctor, but to him, it's the same thing. This place is making him nervous. I'll make sure he gets plenty of rest somewhere he feels safe." The healer looked unconvinced, but Mad-Eye ignored him. "Ready, kiddo?"

Remy nodded. "Yep."

Mad-Eye looked expectantly at the healer. Finally he relented. "Very well. It's against my better judgement, but if you insist."

"We do insist, don't we, Remy?"

Remy nodded. "Definitely."

The healer sighed in defeat and handed a small bottle of tablets to Mad-Eye. "For the pain. Use them sparingly. If he's in too much pain, seek help. Or better still bring him back here to St Mungos. Oh, and keep an eye on that dressing on his hand, it may need re-bandaging in a few days."

Mad-Eye pocketed the bottle. "Thanks. Come on, Junior, time to go."

"Where are we going?"

"A safe place."

"Not the Ministry?"

"No, Junior, not the Ministry. A safe place. An old friend of mine has a house nearby. We can stay there while I sort some things out and you heal. Ok?"

Remy nodded. "Ok."

Mad-Eye ruffled his hair. "Good boy."

* * *

It was dark when they got to the house. The street lights had flickered into life, casting a strange orange hue on the pavements. There were few people on the streets. The air felt cold on the skin, and a light rain was starting to fall. Remy shivered.

Mad-Eye paused opposite a row of terraced town houses. Remy looked at them curiously, but they looked just like any other row of houses to him. Very small front gardens, a flight of stairs up to the front door, 3 stories high, possibly an attic and maybe even a cellar. He could just make out the street sign, Grimmauld Terrace. He frowned. He'd been here before, well in the area anyway. It was right opposite his favourite skate park. He checked the house numbers. 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 … wait, where was 13? Maybe they miscounted when they numbered the houses. Or maybe they missed it on purpose, out of superstition. Yes, that was probably it. Superstition. Remy looked behind at the park. It was definitely his skate park. Mad-Eye looked around and flicked his hand.

"In we go, Remy." He set off across the road with Remy close behind. A quick knock on the door, and it opened immediately. Mad-Eye pushed Remy inside in front of him. Remy barely had time to realise the number on the door was 13. He paused as his eyes adjusted to the brighter light inside the hallway, confused as to how he'd missed the number 13 from the outside. Mad-Eye pushed him forwards gently.

"That you, Mad-Eye?"

"Yes, Remus, and I have company."

A pale looking young man with wild light brown hair appeared in the doorway at the end of the hallway. "Ah, you must be Remy."

Remy nodded mutely.

"I'm Remus, pleased to meet you." Remy took the proffered hand and shook it. "This could get confusing. Remus and Remy. Hmm. Well I sometimes answer to Moony, but with Mad-Eye around that doesn't help us much."

Remy looked at Remus puzzled.

"Moony and Moody. As bad as Remus and Remy," explained Remus. "I don't suppose you have another name?"

Remy shook his head.

"Ah well, I'm sure we'll manage. Are you two hungry?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "That depends on who's cooking."

Remus looked affronted. "Me, of course." He smiled at Remy conspiratorially. "Mad-Eye here doesn't trust any ones cooking."

Mad-Eye muttered under his breath. "With good reason."

"Oh, come on. My cooking isn't that bad."

Al grumbled incoherently and Remy found himself grinning.

"So, are you hungry, Remy?"

Remy nodded. "A bit, yeah."

"Let's see what we can find then, shall we?" Remus steered Remy into the kitchen.

* * *

Remy was bored. It turned out that Remus was a good cook, and he'd managed to keep a light hearted conversation going throughout the meal. He'd even occasionally poked fun at Mad-Eye. Mad-Eye in turn had taken the teasing with good humor and a grin. But now the two men had withdrawn to the living room next door, leaving Remy to amuse himself at the kitchen table. And he was bored.

Remy retrieved his skateboard from his pack in the hallway, pausing to listen briefly to the conversation. He could only make out the odd word, and they made no sense, so he headed back to the kitchen. He put his board down deck first on the table and studied it closely. No breaks or cracks in the deck. That was good. A few new scratches and dints, and one edge was going to need filing down a little, just to neaten it up a little, but no major damage. The wheels were a bit battered and dog eared, but that was just because he tended to ride wheels to destruction, and these were getting close to that fate. They were good for a while yet. But the trucks!

Remy sighed. The back truck appeared to have sheared completely. Only the wheel itself was still holding it in place. The first time he put any pressure on that truck, and it would snap clean through. Damn. Trucks were expensive, and, as usual, Remy was broke.

Maybe he could fix it. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. Remy clung to that thought as he rummaged in his jacket pocket for his tool kit. He unscrewed the truck from the board. It was slow going with his hand bandaged up, and a couple of times he slipped with the screwdriver and winced as his hand protested. Eventually he had the truck in his hand. He studied it carefully. It was no good; it was definitely sheared through. Maybe he could just glue it, but he knew from experience that it was still likely to snap the first time he placed any pressure on it. The best solution was new trucks. Remy sighed.

"What's up, kiddo?"

Remy jumped, startled by Mad-Eye's sudden appearance in the doorway. For a big guy with a bad limp, he could move quietly when he wanted to. Remus peered over Mad-Eye's shoulder.

Remy put the truck down on the table. "Bust my board."

Mad-Eye nodded. "Probably when you whacked Saron with it."

Remus stared wide eyed. "He hit Saron? With a skateboard?"

Mad-Eye nodded. "Twice from what I can work out. And bust his nose as well."

"Oh my god. You're kidding. You broke his nose?"

Remy nodded sheepishly. "I didn't mean to break it, but he grabbed me and … well … it just kinda happened."

Remus started laughing. "Oh, don't apologize, Remy. Saron's face has always had a lot of room for improvement."

Remy was a little confused. He wasn't used to being congratulated for fighting. Mad-Eye stomped over and ruffled his hair.

"So how bad is this board?"

Remy shrugged. "Wrecked, till I get new trucks."

"Trucks?"

"The things that hold the wheels to the deck. I snapped the back one." Remy showed him the broken truck. Al examined it closely.

"You can't just glue it or something?"

Remy shook his head. "Nope. Well I could, but as soon as I put any pressure on it, it'll probably just snap in two again, and that would kinda hurt mid ollie. Well not so much the m ollie part, but the landing part would hurt."

Al raised an eyebrow and nodded. "That does sound like it would hurt. Whatever an ollie might be. Looks like you need new trucks."

Remus peered over his shoulder. "Oh I don't know, Mad-Eye. I think we can fix that."

Al looked doubtful. "Maybe. Tomorrow. Bed time for you right now, young man."

Remus pouted. "Aww, but I'm not tired, Mad-Eye." He winked at Remy. Remy started giggling.

Mad-Eye rolled his eye and looked skywards. "Not you, you idiot. Remy."

"Ohhh. Right."

Mad-Eye closed his eye and shook his head. "Not sure who's the bigger kid."

Remus frowned. "I'm bigger than him."

Remy grinned. "Most people are."

Mad-Eye rolled his eye again. "Enough already. You have work to do." He jabbed a finger at Remus, who feigned pain and surprise. "And you need some sleep, Junior."

Remy tried the same expression as Remus, and they both started laughing.

"Ok, I do have work to do. See you later, Remy."

"Night, Remus."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Remy was running fast, the wind in his face, faster than he could ever remember running before. Trees flashed past him like shadows, out of sight before they even swam into focus. The ones closer to the path threw out branches like hands, trying to grab him as he flew past, but he danced past them, not even slowing slightly. He ran on, the ground ever changing under his feet. No. That was wrong. There were no feet. There were paws. He wanted to stop and look at them, but he couldn't stop running. The paws carrying him actually gained speed.

He could hear footsteps behind him. He looked back. A pack of dogs was closing on him. No. That was wrong too. Not dogs. Wolves. Remy ran onwards, feeling the breath of the chasing pack on his neck. In front, the path vanished. A cliff. A sheer drop. He couldn't stop. He ran on - and on. And then he was running in mid air, desperately trying to find some ground. He was falling, plummeting downwards, his legs still desperately trying to run to safety. The ground rose up to meet him, like a huge black abyss.

Remy jerked awake, his breathing labored and shallow. He stared around wildly before he realized where he was. He waited for a moment to let his breathing slow to a normal pace and his mind clear itself from the nightmare images.

* * *

Remy yawned hugely while trying to eat his cornflakes. Manoeuvring a spoon, laden with milk and cereal, with a bandaged hand while half asleep, had proved to be so tricky that he'd switched to use his left hand. Unfortunately, Remy was definitely not ambidextrous, and was currently dribbling milk down his chin.

Al looked at him with a concerned expression. "You get any sleep at all, kiddo?"

Remy stifled another yawn. "Kinda. Sorta. I think."

"Nightmares?"

Remy hung his head and nodded slightly.

"Hmm."

The front door burst open. "God, it's cold out there. Any chance of coffee, Mad-Eye? Morning Remy, sleep well?"

Remus dropped himself languidly into a chair opposite Remy and grinned at him. Remy couldn't help but grin back. Mad-Eye muttered and grumbled.

"Don't worry, Remus. I'll make the coffee, you just sit right there. Kids!"

Remus just grinned. "Fixed your board yet, Remy?" Mad-Eye slid a steaming cup of coffee over to Remus. "Cheers, Mad-Eye."

Remy shook his head as he managed to shovel some cereal into his mouth.

"Give us a chance, Remus. The kid hasn't had his breakfast yet."

Remus sipped appreciatively at his coffee. "Ok, well after breakfast I vote we try to fix his board. What do you think, Remy?"

Remy nodded enthusiastically as he chewed his cereal with a little more urgency than before.

* * *

The three of them were stood around the kitchen table. Remy's skateboard was in the middle, deck down, with the broken truck slightly to one side.

"So that bit fastens to the board?" asked Remus. Remy nodded. "And that holds the wheel? Ingenious. Ah, I see what you mean. Too much force on that and it will break."

Remy nodded sadly. "It's screwed."

Remus pondered. "Well I think we can at least try to fix it."

Remy shook his head. "I'm not sure. Glue won't do it. Tried it before. It's just not strong enough."

"I wasn't thinking of glue, Remy. I was thinking of magic."

Remy looked at Remus puzzled, with his head tilted to the left. "Magic?"

Remus nodded.

Remy turned to Mad-Eye. "You mentioned magic before. And at the Ministry too."

It was Mad-Eye's turn to nod. "Aye, kiddo. I never did get a chance to explain though." He exchanged a look with Remus, then seemed to reach a decision. "Ok Junior, let's see if I can explain a few things." He sat down on a chair and patted the chair beside him.

Remy sat down and listened intently as Mad-Eye tried to explain about magic. He frowned a few times, scratched behind his right ear several times, and scrunched his face up trying to work it all out.

"So, you're both wizards?"

"Aye, Junior. We are."

"And all those blue lights and crashes and stuff, in the street with Jared, that was magic?"

Mad-Eye nodded.

"Hmm, well that stuff hurt. Not sure magic is a good thing."

Remus chuckled. "Magic can be a good thing or a bad thing. It depends how you use it. And yes, it can hurt. Especially if idiots like Jared use it on small boys."

"Hmm." Remy thought for a moment. "So you think magic can fix my board?"

Mad-Eye shrugged. "Possibly. We can try."

"Cool. That would be a good use of magic."

Remus grinned. "Ok Remy, let's give it a go."

Remy scrambled over to Remus and watched carefully as he drew his wand. Mad-Eye smiled to himself. The boy wasn't phased at all by the idea of magic, which was good. In fact, he seemed more curious than anything. Remus thought for a moment, then waved his wand in a deliberate movement and flicked it at the broken truck.

"Lamnia Reparo!"

Remy watched, mesmerised. Remus picked up the truck and examined it.

"Well, I'm not an expert with skateboards, but it looks ok to me." He handed it to Remy who examined it closely.

"Cool! Looks good as new. I gotta learn how to do that." Mad-Eye and Remus chuckled at Remy's enthusiasm. "I gotta test this out first though, just to make sure."

Mad-Eye looked doubtful. "Not sure about that, kiddo. Is your knee up to it?"

Remy rubbed his knee a bit. "Doesn't hurt half as bad as it did, and it's not like I need to try a 360 or nothing. Just a couple of ollies maybe. Please, Al?" He looked at Mad-Eye with wide, pleading eyes.

Mad-Eye growled. "Ok, but after lunch. And nothing fancy."

* * *

Remus and Mad-Eye were leaning against the bandstand, trying to look inconspicuous. Remy was speeding up and down the path, zigzagging from side to side, occasionally ollieing a kerb.

"Seems his boards fixed."

"Aye."

"His knee seems good too."

"Aye."

"Is he really an Animorph?"

Mad-Eye shrugged. "Seems that way."

"Has he asked about the wolf thing?"

"No.

"Has he asked about your eye?"

"No."

"Your leg?"

"No."

"Hmm. He doesn't seem too bothered by any of this, does he?"

Mad-Eye smiled. "If this kid was any more laid back, he'd fall off."

Remus chuckled. "He seems to like you."

"Aye. I noticed."

"And you seem to have taken quite a shine to him."

"He's a good kid," admitted Mad-Eye grudgingly.

"So what are you going to do with him, Mad-Eye?"

"I have no idea, Remus. Take care of him. Give him time to heal. Ow. He keeps skating like that and it'll take a lot longer."

* * *

Mad-Eye pushed Remy through the front door. Remy limped towards the kitchen, then suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Remus bumped into the back of him.

"Oomph. What have you stopped for, Remy?"

Remy tilted his head to the right, listening, and then took a quick step backwards as a small red haired woman came bustling through the doorway.

"Ah. There you are. I can't understand how you can leave the house with the kitchen in that state. Mad-Eye, you're setting a really bad example. How are the studies going, Remus? You must be Remy. My, what have you been doing?"

Mad-Eye pushed past Remy and Remus and grumbled. "Afternoon, Molly."

Molly was peering at Remy with great concern. "What have you been doing to the boy, Mad-Eye?"

"He had a tumble from his skateboard." Mad-Eye waved the board he was carrying at her as if to prove it. "He'll be fine."

"He's bleeding."

Mad-Eye looked down at Remy's jeans. The torn knee of the denim had done little to protect him and the new graze was oozing a little blood. "Only just. He'll live."

"Mad-Eye!" Remy watched aghast as Molly actually punched Mad-Eye on the arm. He pressed back further against Remus for safety. Mad-Eye barely acknowledged the blow and stomped on into the kitchen.

"He's fine, Molly. Come on, Remy. Molly doesn't bite. Well not too hard anyway. Hi Arthur."

Arthur Weasley appeared in the doorway behind Molly. "Ah, Remy. Doing ok?"

Remy managed a slight nod. Remus propelled him forwards gently. Molly turned around and bustled back past Arthur into the kitchen. As Remus and Remy reached Arthur, he bent down and whispered to Remy. "Don't mind the wife. She fusses over everyone. Here. Have a fizz bomb."

Remy grinned at him and took one of the proffered sweets.

Remus steered Remy to a kitchen chair and sat him down gently as Mad-Eye placed a glass of milk by him. Remy smiled at him.

"Thanks." He took a huge swig of milk, making sure to hold the glass in his un-bandaged left hand.

"Hungry, kiddo?"

Remy nodded and wiped the milk from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I'm not surprised the boy's hungry. What have you been feeding him? There's nothing in this kitchen." Molly was rummaging in the cupboards.

"Stop fussing, Molly. I'm sure they're doing just fine."

Molly rounded on her husband. "Doing just fine? Are you serious, Arthur? The boy looks half starved. His eye is barely open. His hand looks like it needs re-dressing." Remy shifted his hand up his sleeve to hide the tattered bandages. "His knee is bleeding, and there's practically nothing edible in this kitchen."

"We have milk," interrupted Remus.

Molly turned to stare at him. "You can't just feed him milk."

"But I like milk," protested Remy.

Molly smiled at Remy. "I'm sure you do my dear, and milk is good for you. But you do need more than just milk. Now. Mad-Eye, I assume there's a first aid kit here somewhere? Remy needs that hand re-dressing and a plaster on his knee too while you're at it. I'll make dinner. Always supposing you'll eat it." She stood looking at Mad-Eye, hands on her hips, a perfect picture of defiance. Mad-Eye rolled his eye.

"Ok. I'll patch Remy's knee, you cook dinner. Where did you leave the kids anyway?"

"Bill and Charlie are at school. The younger ones are with my aunt Muriel."

"So you'll be rushing back to make sure they're ok?"

"No, they'll be fine until …" Her eyes narrowed as she stopped and stared at Mad-Eye. "I know your game, Alastor Moody. I'll stay until I'm sure this one is being properly looked after. Now shoo. Go on. First aid kit." She turned her back on Mad-Eye and continued her search of the cupboards. "Men!"

Mad-Eye winked at Remy and headed off for the first aid kit.

* * *

Remy wasn't sure he'd ever need to eat again. He was full past the point of extremely full. All the way through the meal, Molly Weasley had kept up a light hearted chatter and piled more food on Remy's plate as she did so. Arthur and Mad-Eye had discussed minor Ministry matters, Molly had quizzed Remus on his studies, and Arthur had asked Remy several questions about skateboarding.

"So there are different kinds of skateboarders?" Arthur seemed genuinely fascinated by anything that wasn't magical.

Remy nodded enthusiastically. "There are vert skaters and street skaters. Vert skaters skate ramps and half pipes. Street skaters skate stairs and ledges and anything else they can find on the street. Street tends to be more popular than vert, mainly 'cause it's easier to do."

"It's easier to skate stairs than a ramp?"

"Well, I don't mean it needs less skill. It's just you don't need a special ramp so you can do it in more places. That's why more people street skate."

"Fascinating!"

"More chicken, Remy?" Molly made to pile yet more food on Remy's plate.

"Oh, no, thank you, Mrs. Weasley, I couldn't, really."

"Not even just a small piece?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Leave him alone, Molly. He eats anymore, he'll burst."

"Well he looks like he needs feeding up," mused Molly.

"You don't have to do it all in one meal though."

"Hmmm. Well, the leftovers are in the fridge if you get hungry, Remy."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."

"I don't think we're going to have to cook for a month," whispered Remus, a little too loudly, earning himself a glare from Molly.

"You'd be surprised how much food a growing boy can eat, Remus." Arthur started to gather the plates from the table. "I know I'm constantly amazed by how much our lot get through in a week."

Mad-Eye snorted. "Ok, I get the idea. I need to feed him. Any other pearls of wisdom."

Molly looked genuinely hurt. "We're just trying to help, Mad-Eye. After all, you don't have a lot of experience with children."

Mad-Eye sighed. "I know. And thank you, Molly. But I'm sure we'll be just fine, won't we, kiddo."

Remy nodded enthusiastically. "I don't exactly have a lot of experience with wizards either, but I'm willing to learn."

All the adults turned to look at Remy, who was desperately trying to keep a straight face, and failing miserably. They all started laughing.

"Come on, Remus," said Arthur. "Give me a hand clearing up. Remy needs some sleep. That's the fourth yawn he's swallowed in the last five minutes. Oh, Mad-Eye, the Minister asked if you could possibly see your way clear to look in on him this evening."

Remy looked warily at Mad-Eye. Mad-Eye growled under his breath.

"Go get some sleep, kiddo. I'll see what the Minister has his panties in a bunch over. I won't be long, ok?"

Remy nodded, somewhat reassured, and headed upstairs to bed.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Remy looked intently around the dark forest that seemed to be closing in on him, casting heavy shadows all around. A thin, creamy fog flowed between his legs as the cold breeze ruffled his hair. He shivered almost uncontrollably. He looked around, worried, but could see nothing familiar.

A distant hooting of an owl startled him, and he spun to look in the direction the sound had come from. Something moved the low branches of the trees a few feet away. He took a few steps back, his eyes locked on that spot as the shaking tree branch ceased. Grey clouds slid over the crescent moon, concealing the only light source and making it even harder to see anything in the gloom.

Suddenly he heard a snarl. It sounded somehow vaguely familiar, yet he had no idea where he may have heard it before. His eyes fought through the sheet of darkness as he squinted, trying desperately to see if there was anyone or anything nearby.

Suddenly a wolf lurched from behind the trees and plunged forwards, red eyes blazing like embers burning in a fire, saliva dripping from his sharp teeth. His light sandy fur looked coarse and matted, with gleaming blotches of blood around the ruff on his neck and around his muzzle. His left paw was bent at a naturally impossible angle towards his body, and he limped forwards, holding the injured paw a few inches clear of the ground. The low growls and snarls sounded to be part anger, and part pain. Remy stood frozen to the spot, like a statue hidden against the tree trunk behind him.

Another growl forced his gaze back to the trees. Another wolf emerged, bigger than the first, his black fur undisturbed and well groomed. His golden eyes slowly fading to an intense shade of black as he closed on the injured wolf in front of him. The lighter wolf turned to face the newcomer, and was greeted with a swipe of the paw that drew blood, casting a fine mist of redness into the pale foggy air. Remy wanted to yell out, to scream at this new wolf to go away, but his tonsils seemed frozen. The light wolf yelped in pain as the black wolf howled triumphantly.

The howl seemed to enrage the injured wolf. He leapt at the black wolf, knocking him over, his teeth snarling viciously at his throat. Blood dripped from his cuts, mingling with the fresh wounds he was now inflicting on the darker animal. It was the black wolfs turn to yelp and struggle to escape, finally managing to throw the smaller wolf from him. The light wolf barked in discomfort as he hit the ground, jarring his injured paw.

The black wolf gathered himself and leapt towards his foe, his razor sharp claws ready to deal the final blow. The smaller wolf seemed dazed and vulnerable, and Remy wanted to help him somehow, but he couldn't move. At the last minute, just as it seemed the darker wolf would deliver the killing blow, the lighter wolf moved with a speed and agility that seemed impossible for such an injured animal. He whirled around, rising up on his back legs and managing to swipe the onrushing wolf with his good right paw, and then quickly distanced himself from his opponent. The black wolf howled in pain and blood dripped from his rib cage, forming puddles on the forest floor. Both wolves circled each other, their breathing labored and shallow, gathering themselves for what must now be the final attack for one of them.

Remy sat bolt upright in a cold sweat, his good eye wide open, his breath labored, his lungs pounding painfully against his bruised ribs. He didn't know where he was. He stared around wildly, trying to work it out.

Remus stuck his head round the door, looking concerned. "You ok Remy?"

Remy managed to gulp some air into his lungs and nodded, finally remembering where he was. The front door banged closed. Remus took a quick look and returned. "Just Mad-Eye. You sure you're ok?"

Remy managed to squeak, "Just a bad dream."

Remus hesitated in the doorway, concerned about Remy, but curious to know how Mad-Eye had gone on at the Ministry. From the sound of a chair being kicked across the kitchen, he guessed not that well.

Remy took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Honest."

Remus paused, then decided. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "You're sweating."

"Told you, bad dream, I'm fine."

Remus stroked Remy's hair. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a piece of chocolate. "Here. Eat this. It helps."

Remy took the chocolate and nibbled it. Weirdly, it did seem to help.

"Better?"

Remy nodded. "Thanks."

"Try to get some sleep then. Sleep will help I'm sure."

* * *

Remy tossed and turned fitfully. He heard the front door a couple of times and voices chattering. Every time he closed his eyes to sleep, the nightmares closed in on him, each one weirder than the last. Twice he woke in a panic. The second time he heard raised voices from below.

He crept out of the bedroom and along the corridor and sat down at the top of the stairs. He could recognise some of the voices. Al … Remus … Dumbledore … the Weasleys … and a couple more voices that he didn't recognise. He listened hard, trying to hear what was being said.

"… wolves …"

"… America …"

"… child …"

"… dangerous …"

"And how are you going to do that, Alastor?"

"You have no idea what you're taking on."

"He needs to be with his own kind."

"The Ministry are not going to go along with this scheme."

"Animorphs are not magic, Mad-Eye."

"He needs a safe place to live."

"… security …"

"He needs feeding up."

"What the boy needs is a stable home."

"What the boy needs is to stop listening to conversations from the top of the stairs and get back to bed." Mad-Eyes voice was raised louder than the others.

Everyone else hushed. Remy had no idea how Al had known he was there, but he scampered back to bed as fast as his aching legs would carry him and dived under the covers. There was quiet for a few minutes, then the front door opened and closed a couple of times, closely followed by the now familiar stomp of Mad-Eye heading up the stairs. Remy lay still, trembling slightly.

Mad-Eye opened the door and looked over at Remy. He looked so young, small and scared right now that he couldn't help thinking that maybe he was wrong and everyone else was right. He shook that thought from his head, limped over and sat on the bed. He ruffled Remy's hair softly.

"You should be asleep, not wandering the hallway, listening to conversations."

"Sorry."

"Well try to get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning, after breakfast. Ok?"

Remy's voice was very quiet and subdued. "Ok."

* * *

Remy lay awake, listening intently. The room was pretty dark, but Remy could make out the shapes of the wardrobe and the drawers. His pack was ready at the foot of the bed, his board strapped securely in place. He could hear no sounds in the house. No creaking, no rattles, no voices. He slid quietly out of bed, already dressed, and put his jacket and sneakers on noiselessly. He crept to the foot of the bed and put his pack on, wincing slightly as it rubbed his back. Cautiously he opened the door, hoping the hinges wouldn't squeak.

He picked his way along the corridor, avoiding the one floorboard that groaned if you stood on it. He paused at the top of the stairs and listened hard, his head tilted on one side. Nothing. He snuck slowly down the stairs and paused again at the bottom. Still nothing. Along the hallway, past the living room, and on to the front door. He reached out a hand to open the door.

"And where do you think you're going, young man?"

Remy whirled around in shock, his mouth unable to form coherent words.

"Get in here."

Remy kicked himself. He should have checked there was no-one in the living room. Rookie mistake. He trudged back to the living room and stood in the doorway. Mad-Eye was sitting in a chair by the fireplace, Knowing he was there, Remy could just about make out his shadow. A wave of the hand and lights flickered on in the room. He didn't look too pleased. Remy shifted from one foot to the other, head hung as Mad-Eye glared at him. Mad-Eye shook his head and his expression softened slightly. He pointed to a spot in front of him.

"Come here."

Remy wandered over slowly, dragging his feet, and stood there, staring intently at the floor. Mad-Eye gently lifted his chin until he was looking him in the eye. Or thereabouts anyway.

"So where exactly did you think you were going?"

Remy just shrugged.

"Ok, so why were you going?"

Another shrug.

"Planning on coming back?"

Another shrug.

"Did you even leave me a note?"

Remy shook his head. "Sorry."

Mad-Eye sighed and ruffled Remy's hair. "Last time you got parted from me kiddo, it took me a week to find you. Did you think I'd just let you leave without a word and not try to find you again?"

Remy shrugged, but looked thoughtful. "Didn't think about that."

"Uh huh. And did you think about where you were going to go?"

Remy shook his head. "Not really. I figured maybe Scotland."

"Scotland?" Mad-Eye sounded genuinely surprised. "Why Scotland?"

"Heard it was full of trees and not many people. Figured if I was going to turn into a wolf, it would be a good place to hide."

"Hmm. So the wolf thing is bothering you, is it?"

Remy nodded, still not quite meeting Mad-Eyes gaze.

"You know I'd have come to find you."

It was Remy's turn to look surprised. "Really?"

"Really."

"Why?" Remy frowned, trying to work out why Al would bother trying to find him. Mad-Eye ruffled his hair again.

"Because I like you, kiddo. Have from the minute I saw you skateboarding in the park. Not sure why, just liked you. You're a smart kid, and a tough cookie. You just need someone on your side. I was hoping that you'd let that be me. But if you want to leave …"

Remy nodded. "Better this way."

"Better for who?"

"You."

Mad-Eye looked puzzled. "Better for me? Why do you say that, Remy?"

"Well people are mad at you for getting involved with me. They're all saying you shouldn't, that I'm not worth it, and giving you a hard time about it. I figured if I left, they'd stop."

Mad-Eye chuckled. "You really shouldn't listen in to private conversations, kiddo."

Remy scrunched his face into an obstinate expression. "But it was a conversation about me."

Mad-Eye considered this. "Good point. Look, I was going to talk to you about this in the morning, but hell, it's morning already. Ok, so the Ministry wants to send you back 'home' to America. I don't think that's necessarily a good idea. I mean, do you have any relatives over there at all?" Remy shook his head. "Thought not. So they'd be sending you back to nothing. Bad idea. Seems likely you're an Animorph." Remy looked puzzled. "The wolf transformation, Remy. You need to sort that out before anything else. The first time you transformed, you responded to me, so I thought maybe I could help you through this. The thing is, I don't exactly lead a normal life. I'm an Auror. Sort of like a wizard policeman if you like. It's my job to hunt down rogue wizards and put them in prison, and I'm damn good at my job. That means there are people out there who'd like to see me get hurt. The Weasley's are worried that you'll end up in the middle of that and get hurt. Or that someone would use you as a way of hurting me. Or that I'd get hurt and you'd be stuck in some strange place all alone. Dumbledore is worried that I won't cope with having a kid around. He knows me too well, or thinks he does. The Ministry are worried that you're going to turn into a vicious, savage, snarling creature that's a danger to everyone and that I'm not the best person to be in control of that. Remus was just worried you'd do something stupid, like running away. Seems Remus was right, and he's never going to let me forget that either."

He paused for breath. Remy's jaw was working as he tried to compute all that information.

"The question is, Remy, what do you want to do?"

Remy thought hard. He wasn't often asked what he wanted. "Dunno. I know I don't want to go back to America. I don't know anyone there anymore."

"So no relatives?"

"No, not that I know of."

"You told me you were adopted."

Remy nodded. "I was found, not born. No idea who my real parents were. The cop that found me called me Remy, and when no-one claimed me, he adopted me. He died when I was 5. He wasn't even on duty. Got killed in a shoot out in a grocery store on his way home from work. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mom kinda freaked out. She hit the bottle, and she was a mean drunk with lousy taste in men." He shrugged. "Don't think she ever really wanted me. I think Nick talked her into it, and once he died, well she was stuck with me. Didn't help that I was useless at school and always getting into fights and in trouble with the cops. We argued. A lot. She finally met someone else though. He was ok, pretty much left me alone. He got a job in London, and we moved."

"And you were what? Nine?"

Remy nodded.

"So what happened to them?"

"They got killed in a car crash two weeks after we got here."

"Shit, kiddo." Mad-Eye pulled him into a tight hug. Remy yelped as his pack dug into his back. Mad-Eye stood him back away at arms length. "Better take that pack off, unless you're still intending to leave."

Remy shook his head and struggled to get the pack off, with help from Mad-Eye. He helped him out of his jacket too, noting that Remy had to blink hard a few times to fight off the tears that were filling his eyes.

"So you really have been fending for yourself for the last couple of years?"

"Pretty much. Social workers can't really cope with me. Homes are easy to get out of. Schools prefer if I don't turn up. I get by."

"By helping people like Sully?"

Remy nodded and hung his head, trying to discreetly wipe away the tears that were about to run down his face. Mad-Eye tugged him back into a hug, being careful not to squeeze too tightly and waited for Remy to calm back down. Remy sniffed a few times and wiped his eyes.

"I think your shirt got damp. Sorry."

Mad-Eye smiled. "That's ok, Remy. It needed a wash anyway."

Remy managed a small grin.

"So, people can't cope with you?"

"Nope. Not usually." Remy actually laughed. "Apparently I'm always getting into too many fights and not doing what I'm told and I have this stubborn streak. Plus I'm useless at school, but that's 'cause it's boring. Best report card I ever got said "Is this boy in my class?'"

Mad-Eye frowned. "You don't seem useless to me, Remy. You must be pretty smart to fend for yourself like you have been doing."

Remy shrugged. "Street smart maybe, but not school smart. Words and numbers, boring."

"You can read, right?"

Remy grinned. "Yeah, I can read, and I can do math in my head. Can't write it down real well though, and my spelling is atrocious, or it would be if I could spell atrocious." A slightly rueful expression flitted across his face. "Then I get bored and wander off and get into fights."

"Looks like I'm going to have my work cut out keeping you in line kiddo."

Remy peered up at Mad-Eye's grizzled face, a little stunned. "Do you mean that?"

"That I'm going to have my work cut out?"

"No, not that. Well yeah, that, but I mean …"

It was Mad-Eyes turn to chuckle. "Look kiddo, I knew there was something different about you the first time I saw you. There was something I can't explain that drew me to you. I was there the first time you transformed. I was the one trying to take you to the Ministry when Jared stuck his nose in. I feel responsible for you, and I don't see many volunteers in the Muggle world to help you out. I've been around Animorphs before, fair while back, but I can still remember some tricks that should help you. I like you, kiddo. You have a spark to you. So yes, I want to help you. If you'll let me."

Remy nodded eagerly. "I'd like that."

Mad-Eyes face got serious. "Just one thing though, Junior. You ever pull a stunt on me like this again, sneaking out without a word or a note, and I will put you over my knee and tan your hide so that you won't be sitting comfortably for a week. Do I make myself clear?"

Remy gulped and nodded. "Yes Sir!"

Mad-Eye smiled. "Good boy." He hugged him close and smiled as he felt Remy's arms slide around his body and hug him back.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Remy was bored. Again. He'd been bored for a week. Mad-Eye wouldn't let him go to the park on his own, insisting on him staying inside and 'resting'. He'd managed to persuade Remus to take him a couple of times, but never for very long, and only on the understanding that the half pipe ramp was out of bounds. Remus had tried teaching him how to play chess, but Remy couldn't really get the hang of it. Mad-Eye had sat with him, trying to explain about Animorphs and wolves and magic, but Remy found his attention wandering. His ribs and his back still ached, and his knee forced him to limp slightly, but his eye had pretty much opened properly as the swelling reduced, although he still had a black eye. His hand felt much better, and his head didn't hurt. Now he was restless. And bored.

The three of them were in the sitting room after dinner. Remus was reading a book. Mad-Eye was reading through some papers. Remy was curled up in a chair, his arms around his knees, watching a moth dance around the central light, lost in thought.

Mad-Eye put his papers down. "Bored, kiddo?"

"Skull-less," confirmed Remy. "I just want to **do** something."

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Something. Anything."

"You could read a book."

"Books are boring."

"Draw something."

"No paper."

"Hmm. I'll get you some tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"So what do you normally do when you're bored."

Remy shrugged. "Skateboard."

"Not at this time of night. Besides, your knee isn't fully healed yet. No more boarding until it is, or I'll have Molly Weasley baying for my blood. What else?"

Another shrug. "Nothing much." He wasn't about to mention stealing car radios, breaking into warehouses or spray painting under railway bridges. Mad-Eye seemed to be reading his mind.

"You mean nothing much that's legal."

Remy grinned sheepishly and tried diverting the conversation. "Sometimes I just run."

"Run?"

"Yep."

"Where to?

"Nowhere in particular. I just … run. I like running. Helps me burn off energy too. Helps if I can't sleep."

"Wolves are good at running," interjected Remus. Mad-Eye frowned at him. "Well they are. They run for miles to hunt down their prey. I read it in a book. You should try that sometime, Remy. Reading a book I mean, not hunting down prey."

Remy stuck his tongue out at Remus, who just laughed. Remy sat quietly, staring vacantly at some point in space.

"So what are you thinking about, Remy?"

"About me being a wolf."

Mad-Eye and Remus exchanged glances. This was the first time Remy had mentioned the wolf issue himself.

"What about it, kiddo?"

Remy tried to get his thoughts in order. "Well I mean, I only did it the once, well apart from the paw thing, and I don't know how I did it. What if I never do it again? Or what if I do it and I don't mean to? In public some place. And what if I don't know I've done it? 'Cause I didn't really know last time, just that I felt weird. And what if I can't turn back again? I mean, am I gonna just turn into a wolf one day and that's it, I'll be a wolf forever? Or what if someone finds me as a wolf and thinks I'm a stray dog, 'cause they put strays down don't they?"

Mad-Eye raised his eyebrows. "That's a lot of what ifs there, Remy."

"I know."

"You've been thinking about this a lot haven't you? Had nightmares about it too?"

A slight nod.

"Hmm, ok. Well how about you actually try to turn into a wolf."

"What? You mean, on purpose?"

Mad-Eye nodded. "Why not? At least that would answer some of your questions. I did tell you, some Animorphs do choose to live purely as animals, and some only as human. But some transform at will. Maybe we should find out if you can do that."

"Now you mean?"

"Why not? There's only me and Remus here. The front door is locked. We're unlikely to have visitors. You'll be safe enough. Might as well try."

Remy thought for a second. "Ok. But I don't know where to start."

Mad-Eye patted the couch beside him. "Come here." Remy scrambled over and sat down. Mad-Eye put his arms around his shoulders and pulled him close. "Ok. You remember how you turned back in the diner?" Remy nodded. "Well try that, but in reverse. Look at your hand. Concentrate on it. Imagine it as a paw. See it in your mind. That's it. Good boy. Concentrate."

Remy stared at his hand, remembering the light shaggy fur and claws. He willed it to change, but nothing happened. He sighed. "I can't do it."

"Relax. Don't try to force it. Just relax and concentrate."

Remy relaxed. He closed his eyes and pictured his hand as a paw. The subtle changes in the color of the fur. The claws at the front, short and sharp. It was no good. It wasn't working. He opened his mouth to say so, but all he heard was a weird yipping noise. He opened his eyes, feeling a little weird. He looked at his hand. No. His paw. He'd done it! Remy was suddenly unsure if that was a good thing or not. He looked up at Mad-Eye and tried to say something, but all that came out was a mewling noise.

Mad-Eye ruffled his fur. "It's ok, kiddo. Wolves don't generally speak, but we'll work out what you're trying to say somehow. Feeling alright?"

Remy nodded and stared at his paws. Remus was also staring at his paws.

"For a little wolf, he has big paws, Mad-Eye."

Med-Eye nodded. "Aye. He's only a pup. Got a lot of growing to do yet."

Remy hopped off the couch and peered at all four paws in turn. He moved them around experimentally, trying to work out how to walk. He padded over to Remus and sat down, looking up at him, head tilted on one side. Remus reached out and scritched Remy's ear. Remy's tail started wagging as he leant into the touch. Tail? He had a tail! Remy spun round in circles, trying to see his tail.

Remus laughed. "I wouldn't bite that, Remy. It might hurt."

Remy tried to catch the elusive tail, but he couldn't. He growled in frustration and Mad-Eye chuckled.

"Come here, Remy." Remy padded over to Mad-Eye and sat, looking up at him. "Lie down." Remy lay down obediently. "On your side. That's the way." Mad-Eye tickled his tummy and Remy giggled, although it sounded more like a happy yipping, mewling noise. Mad-Eye chuckled as he maneuvered Remy into position, curled on his side. "Ok kiddo, one tail." He gently tugged Remy's tail around until it was by his nose.

Remy peered at it closely, then he sniffed it. It smelled like him. He bit it tentatively, and yelped in surprise and pain.

Remus laughed. "Told you, Remy."

Remy grumbled and curled back up, examining his tail. He found he could twitch it about quite easily. He licked it where he'd bitten it and murmured quietly, before switching his attention to his paws. Remus was right. They were big. He sniffed and licked them, tilting his paws and his head to examine them thoroughly.

"Curious isn't he?"

"Can't blame him, Remus."

Remy peered around at the room and sniffed the air. It smelled different. Or at least, he could smell things he'd never really noticed before. He sniffed at Al. Hmm. Peppermint … and … liquorice? Aniseed? Mad-Eye chuckled and held his hand down to Remy. Remy sniffed it, then licked it. He tasted like he smelled. Remy decided he liked the smell, whatever it was. It seemed … safe. He yipped happily to Mad-Eye, who scritched his ears.

"Good boy."

Remy padded around the room, sniffing everything carefully. Carpets, rugs, curtains, walls. He even chewed at a chair leg, and got growled at by Mad-Eye. He hung his head and slunk off to explore the door instead. He padded back to Remus and sniffed the air. He frowned, and tilted his head to one side.

Remus held his hand out to Remy, who sniffed it. He tilted his head the other way. Something wasn't quite right, but he couldn't work out what. He yipped and growled and bobbed his head about, trying to work it out.

Remus looked over to Mad-Eye, who shrugged. "I think he can tell, Remus."

Remus nodded. "Looks that way." He scratched at Remy's ear. "I should have probably told you before, Remy, but I've never found a good way to casually drop it into conversation. I'm a werewolf."

Remy blinked and sniffed at Remus again. He smelled similar to Remy, yet different too. Remy tried to remember what he knew about werewolves, but came up with a blank. He grumble mewled questioningly.

"I'll explain it to you later, Remy."

Remy yipped, satisfied that Remus would indeed explain it, and licked Remus's hand.

"Ok Remy. I think that's enough for one day. Time to turn back."

Remy shook his head and growled at Mad-Eye.

"I think he wants to explore some more, Mad-Eye."

Mad-Eye sighed. "Ok, but just a little while longer, Remy."

Remy barked and bounded over to Mad-Eye, bouncing up and down in front of him, yipping excitedly. "Great, a playful wolf pup. Just what I need."

Remus laughed. "You did volunteer, Mad-Eye."

Mad-Eye groaned. "Thanks for reminding me."

* * *

"Al …"

"Yes, Remy?"

"You know you said it's rare for a Animorph to do magic?"

"Yes, Remy."

"Does that mean I have to get Remus to fix my skateboard each time I break it?"

Mad-Eye looked up from the newspaper he'd been reading. Remy had one of his skateboard wheels in his hand, peering at it thoughtfully. Mad-Eye ran his fingers through his hair. "Well I suppose we could find out."

Remy looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I could show you how to perform a spell and see if you can do it. Then we'd know if you have any magic in you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Cool. Now?"

Mad-Eye laughed. "Patience isn't one of your strong points is it, Junior."

Remy grinned sheepishly.

"Ok, come here." Mad-Eye drew his wand with one hand and wrapped his other arm around Remy. "Watch carefully."

Remy watched intently as Mad-Eye swirled his wand around, drawing a symbol in the air.

"Lumos."

The end of his wand lit up like a torch.

"Cool!"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "I'll show you again, then it's your turn."

Remy watched really carefully and nodded. "Ok, I think I got it."

Mad-Eye handed his wand to Remy, who gripped it uncertainly.

"Not like that, here." Mad-Eye repositioned Remy's hand until he was happy. "Ok, try it."

Remy took a breath and tried to copy the symbol Mad-Eye had drawn. "Loomos." The end of the wand twitched and sparked a little. Remy frowned. "Doesn't look like I can do this."

Mad-Eye hugged him. "Patience, Remy. That was just your first attempt. And it's lumos … l u m o s. Try it again, slowly."

Remy tried again, slower this time, and managed a dim light. He grinned. "Almost."

"Close, Junior. Try again."

Remy concentrated really hard and tried one more time. Sparks flew from the end of the wand and there was a loud bang. Remus came diving into the room with his wand drawn.

"What the … ?"

Mad-Eye laughed. "Just Remy trying a spell, Remus."

"A spell for what? Deafening all the neighbors?"

Remy grinned sheepishly and handed Mad-Eye's wand back. "I don't think it likes me."

Remus handed Remy his wand. "Well try this one then." Remy looked puzzled. "Not all wands suit all wizards Remy, and Mad-Eye's wand, well, it's Mad-Eye's wand. It probably doesn't like a novice trying to use it."

Remy took Remus's wand, holding it as Mad-Eye had shown him and tried again, making sure to point the wand away from both Mad-Eye and Remus. This time the wand lit up brightly. "Cool!" Remy's grin was almost as bright as the wand end.

"Seems we have a shopping trip to make, Junior, to get you your own wand and some books on magic. Think I'm going to need to get special dispensation from the Ministry to teach you too. They're going to love that."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Remy had no idea why Mad-Eye seemed to be heading to a record store on the Charing Cross Road. He'd never heard him play any music. Next to the record store was a broken-down old shop front, shabby and apparently deserted for years. Next to that was a book shop. Ah, maybe that was where they were heading. He had said Remy needed some books.

They stopped short of the book shop. Remy frowned at Mad-Eye, puzzled. Mad-Eye just grinned at him. "Come on, Junior." Mad-Eye led the way into the apparently deserted shop. Remy shrugged and followed him … and stopped dead. It was a pub!

"What the hell …?"

"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, Remy. One of the most popular pubs around London, for wizards anyway. It's a gateway between the non-wizarding world and Diagon Alley."

"Diagonally?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "More than a few have got lost with that Remy. "Diagon … Alley. It's where we're heading."

Remy looked around. It was a dark, shabby looking place, definitely not your typical theme pub. The cobwebs in the corners looked genuine. There was a group of old ladies in one corner, all dressed in black, sipping some kind of purple smoking liquid from small glasses, and a group of middle aged men, again all dressed in the by now normal black garb, having a quiet yet animated conversation in the shadows at the far side of the room.

"Afternoon, Tom."

"Mad-Eye! Been a while since you've been through here." The barman was hunched and bald, and looked like an extra from a horror movie. That image wasn't helped by the toothless grin he flashed at Remy. "Is he old enough to be here?"

"Probably not, Tom, but he's with me. That a problem?"

"No problem at all, Mad-Eye, as long as he doesn't ask me to serve him alcohol. I could lose my license for that." Mad-Eye and Tom both chuckled at that, though Remy wasn't quite sure what was so funny. "Staying a while, or passing through?"

"Just passing through today, Tom. Some stuff the lad needs, and this was the best way to get there."

"Ah, well stop by for a chat before you leave. Some rumblings you may want to take an interest in."

Mad-Eye raised an eyebrow. "I'll do that, Tom. Come on, Remy."

Remy followed Mad-Eye through to the rear of the pub and into a chilly courtyard. He watched as Mad-Eye tapped various bricks in the wall in a counter-clockwise order, and blinked as a doorway appeared from nowhere. Mad-Eye walked through, with Remy close behind him. Once through the doorway, Remy turned to look at the courtyard, but there was only a wall there. He shrugged and turned to see where they'd ended up.

"And this is Diagon Alley, Remy."

Remy looked around in wonderment, his eyes wide and curious, peering at his surroundings. He wasn't sure where they were, but it wasn't like any place he'd ever been before. At first glance, this was a normal London street, albeit an old one. The street was cobbled and there was a seemingly endless assortment of shops and cafes, some with tables and chairs outside them, with brightly colored umbrellas. Various wizards and witches were bustling around, smiling and waving to each other as they scurried to make their purchases. But it was the shops themselves that made this place different.

The first one Remy could see declared itself to be Potage's Cauldron Shop, and sure enough, there was a stack of them in front of the shop. Across the way he could see a huge snowy-white building, towering over the neighboring shops. A bit further down the street there seemed to be cages of owls hanging outside one shop, while another had old fashioned feather quill pens prominently displayed. Remy blinked and looked around, trying to take it all in.

"Keep up, Junior." Mad-Eye paused to let Remy catch up, and saw a familiar figure up ahead. "Ah, Sienna. Come on, Remy."

Remy scampered after Mad-Eye as he forged a path down the crowded street. Remy grinned to himself as people literally fell over themselves to get out of Mad-Eye's way. He'd be great at crowd control at a football match.

"Sienna!"

A slightly built purple haired young woman spun around, her face lighting up when she saw Mad-Eye.

"Mad-Eye! Where have you been? When are you coming back to the Department?"

The two managed to clear a space on the street, the crowd flowing around them. Remy stood half behind Mad-Eye, carefully evaluating this new character.

"I've been in and out a few times, but I've been busy with other things. Remy, this is a student of mine, Sienna. Sienna, this is Remy. I'm looking after him for a while."

Sienna shot Remy a huge grin. "Lucky you, huh?"

Remy grinned back as Mad-Eye grumbled "Kids!" under his breath. "So how are things, Sienna?"

"Fitz is driving everyone nuts, Barbara is complaining about too much paperwork. Saron hasn't been around for a while, which is good. Apparently he had his face re-arranged. I'd like to see what improvements were made. We miss you. I miss you."

Mad-Eye muttered. Remy grinned. "Maybe you need better aim."

Sienna frowned at Remy. "Better aim?"

Remy nodded and stepped sideways out of Mad-Eyes reach. "Well it's not like he's easy to miss."

Mad-Eye growled as Sienna started laughing. "Oh, I like this one, Mad-Eye."

"Good," grumbled Mad-Eye. "So you won't mind keeping an eye on him for me for a while. I have some business to take care of. I'll meet you outside Fortescue's in … say an hour."

"Ok, Mad-Eye. Come on, Remy."

Mad-Eye pushed some coins into Remy's hand as he trailed after Sienna. "And try to stay out of trouble, Junior."

* * *

Remy followed Sienna along Diagon Alley, stopping to look in various shop windows full of strange and wonderful things that Remy had never seen before. Cauldrons, brooms, potions. Even the clothing stores had strange looking robes and cloaks, and what Remy still thought of as silly pointy hats. They were stood in front of one such shop now. Sienna was oohing and ahhing over a belt in the window. Well, two belts in the window. One was red with little sparkles on it. The other was a deep purple color with thin black stripes.

"I really like the red one. It's a bit sparkly though, not sure the sparkles are really me."

Remy looked at the two belts, then at Sienna. "The purple one would match your hair."

"You think?"

"Yep."

"I could change my hair color though." Sienna wriggled her nose, and her hair turned red. Remy tilted his head on one side, looking at her.

"Purple suits you better. Matches your eyes. Unless you can change the color of them too?"

Sienna laughed. "No, my eyes stay bluey purple no matter what I do to them. Purple it is then." Her hair changed back. "Coming in?"

"Into a dress shop?" Remy sounded aghast. "No way."

"I told Mad-Eye I'd keep an eye on you."

"Well I'll be right here. I'll be looking in the … um … pet shop." Sienna looked a little doubtful. "How long is it going to take you to buy a belt anyway?"

Sienna grinned. "Ok. But don't go anywhere."

"I'll be right here." Remy turned his attention to the 'pet shop' window and looked at the animals. There was a bored looking owl in a cage, various rodents of differing sizes and colors, a few snakes, a rabbit and a couple of cats. There were even some bright orange snails, and some frogs, croaking loudly to each other.

"Hey. MacKenzie."

Remy was busy pulling faces at one of the rats in the window and ignored the voice.

"I'm talking to you."

Remy looked around. There was a group of four teenage boys stood looking at him. Their leader had a face which seemed to be frozen into a permanent sneer. He was flanked by two smaller boys, one of whom has eyes not unlike the rat in the window. The larger boy at the rear had a vacant expression, which somehow suited his face.

"MacKenzie."

Remy looked around to see who they were talking to.

"You."

Remy looked surprised. "Me?"

"Yes. You. Good Grief. You're MacKenzie aren't you?" The lead boy sounded exasperated at Remy's ignorance. "Where's your sister?"

Remy blinked, confused. "Who?"

"Your sister!"

"I don't have a sister. And I'm not MacKenzie."

"Oh for heavens sake. She was here with you a minute ago."

Remy scratched behind his right ear. "Do you mean Sienna?"

The boy ran his fingers through his greasy looking, slicked back black hair, and sighed. "Yes. Sienna. Your sister."

Remy laughed. "That's going to come as a shock to her parents."

"She isn't your sister?"

"Nope, I only met her a few minutes ago."

"Oh. So you're not MacKenzie?"

Remy shook his head. "Nope. Told you that already."

"Oh. Well. Anyway, where is she?"

Remy looked around as though searching for Sienna, and even patted his pockets. "I dunno."

The boy rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure how they allow some people out in public unaccompanied. Look, just tell her I was looking for her, ok?" He turned to walk away.

"Sure," said Remy helpfully. "Um, you wanna leave a name, or should I just say some kid with weird greasy hair wanted her? 'Cause I'm not sure that's gonna narrow it down a whole lot."

The boy paused and took a deep breath. "Wesley. My name is Wesley. Idiot."

"Ok. Wesley Idiot. I got that. I'll tell her. If I see her. If I don't tell her it's 'cause I didn't see her. Or I forgot."

"No, my name is Wesley, you're the idiot ... Never mind. You make Tank here look intelligent." He stalked off in a huff with his friends close behind, the one with the vacant expression screwing his face up as he tried to work out if he'd just been insulted.

Remy grinned and went back to pulling faces at the black rat in the window. Sienna appeared a few moments later, clutching a paper bag.

"You were right. The purple one is much more my style. Hmmm, I see you've made a new friend."

Remy grinned. "Cute ain't he?"

"He's a rat."

"So?"

"Boys! Come on, let's check out the sweet shop."

* * *

They peered in the window.

"Strawberry Laces!"

"I don't like strawberry."

"You don't like strawberry?"

"Nope."

"You're weird."

"Of course I'm weird. I'm a boy."

Sienna laughed. "So what do you like?"

"Um ... dunno, not really into sweets. I can never afford them."

"Oh. I never thought to ask that. Have you got any money now?"

Remy reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of the strange coins Mad-Eye had given him. He looked at them and shrugged. "Got these. Not sure what they are though."

Sienna looked at the coins. "Oh, you have enough for sweets, Remy. Come on, let's go inside and choose."

Inside the shop, the walls were crammed from floor to ceiling with jars filled with sweets of different shapes, sizes and colors, each jar with a neat label with the name and price, not that the prices meant much to Remy. From the weird coins in his pocket, even he'd managed to work out that this place had it's own currency system. He already had a hard enough time converting from dollars to pounds, without worrying about a whole new system. They looked around, Sienna trying to find her favourites, Remy just trying to work out how many different types of sweet there actually were. The shopkeeper, a small rotund man with short grey spiky hair and big ears, watched them browse for a while, before smiling at Sienna.

"Can I help you?"

Sienna smiled back at him. "I'd like some Cherry Gum, Strawberry Laces and Mint Choc Chunks please. Oh, and I'd better get some Chocolate Frogs for my brother too."

The shopkeeper bustled about, weighing the sweets out. "Anything else?"

Sienna looked at Remy, who just shrugged. "Told you. I don't usually do sweets. I know I like Orange Fizz Bombs."

"Orange Fizz Bombs? You're kidding me."

"No. I've had them before."

Sienna shook her head. "Weird."

"How about Strawberry Ruffles?" suggested the shopkeeper.

"No," sighed Sienna. "He doesn't like strawberry."

"Got anything aniseed flavoured?" asked Remy.

"Aniseed? Hmmm, yes I believe we have. We have Lick 'O'Rish Spiders?"

Remy shuddered. "Um, no thanks. I don't like spiders either."

"Ok, well how about Licorice Mints? Or Aniseed Balls?"

Remy pondered which to try, but Sienna chose for him. "He'll take both please. Oh, and some Jelly Slugs too."

"Jelly Slugs? I'm not eating slugs!"

Sienna laughed. "They're not real slugs silly. They're just jellies that look like slugs. My brother raves over them."

"Oh, that reminds me, someone was looking for you earlier, Sienna. He thought I was your brother. I tried to put him straight. Now he just thinks I'm an idiot."

Sienna looked at Remy. "He thought you were my brother? Well you're certainly not my older brother, and even my younger brother is older than you. And taller. And he has black hair."

Remy shrugged. "He said his name was Wesley."

Sienna rolled her eyes. "Oh. Him. Annoying little twerp with an equally annoying older brother. If we're lucky, he'll have gone home already."

* * *

They were stood outside Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, peering at the produce on sale, most of which seemed to be brightly colored or slimy. Or both. Remy thought the shop smelled a little like rotten cabbage, but Sienna didn't seem to notice this. They were swapping sweets while Sienna explained what some of the items on display were called, and what they were used for. Remy listened intently while chewing a Mint Choc Chunk, which he decided he liked.

He caught sight of Wesley and his friends in the reflection of the window and quickly stuffed his sweets into his pockets. Sienna noticed his movements and followed his look towards Wesley.

"Great. Just what I need. Trouble. Well, trouble's younger brother anyway."

As Wesley neared, Remy spoke up loudly. "Oh, Sienna, I forgot to tell you. Some kid was looking for you earlier. Little dude with greasy hair. Weasel Face or something. Least I think that's what he said."

Sienna had to stifle her laughter. Wesley looked indignant. "Ah. Sienna. There you are."

"Yes. Here I am, Wesley. What do you want?"

Wesley puffed out his chest self importantly. "My brother asked me to pass on a message to you."

Sienna rolled her eyes. "Oh goody. A message from your brother. What happened? Did he run out of messengers so he had to send his baby brother?"

Wesley frowned. "Look, I have a message for you. My brother is an important man. You should respect that."

Sienna yawned. "Yeah, yeah. Important man."

"Ohhh," said Remy. "I thought he said impotent."

Sienna snickered. Wesley stepped forwards, pulling himself up to his full height and squaring up to Sienna, who was a good few inches taller than him. "Look, I've been nice so far. Get the idiot here under control and we'll start again."

Sienna smiled at Wesley, over politely. "Get on with it, Weasel Face. Hey! I like that name, Remy, it suits him, don't you think?"

Remy lost track of the conversation between Sienna and Wesley. He was too busy watching Rat Boy and Tank. They'd sneaked quietly off to the side while Sienna was busy with Wesley and were maneuvering so that they would soon be behind her. Remy sensed this was no accident, nor did he think the 'message' Wesley was supposed to be passing to Sienna was an entirely verbal one.

Remy drifted to the side, putting himself between Sienna and the two boys. He weighed up his options. Even Rat Boy was bigger than him, which had never been a problem to Remy before, but he had a feeling these two knew magic too. That could be a problem. Or maybe it could work to his advantage. He'd noticed that those that could use magic seemed to prefer to use that first, and did things the 'normal' way only as a last resort. Well, except for Mad-Eye anyway.

As the two teens made their move towards Sienna, Remy moved faster, taking Tank's feet from beneath him with a swift leg sweep. Totally unprepared, Tank toppled backwards with a yell and a thud. Sienna spun round to see what the commotion was. Wesley glared at Remy, not bothering to make any attempt to conceal his annoyance.

"Sorry," said Remy calmly. "My foot slipped."

Rat Boy backed away slowly, then turned and ran off down the street. The other boy by Wesley's side slipped away into the gathering crowd.

Remy shrugged. "I guess he forgot to feed his cat."

Wesley pushed past a bewildered Sienna and stalked towards Remy. Remy stood his ground, smiling. Wesley stood toe to toe with Remy and stared down at him.

"You're going to pay for that, you … you … little runt."

Remy just grinned. Sienna stepped in between the two, pushing Wesley back. "Leave it, Wesley. Go tell your brother you delivered his message. And the answer is no."

Wesley glared at Sienna. "That's a bad mistake. It's a generous offer."

Sienna shrugged. "It doesn't matter how generous the offer is, the answer is no. If he wants a job at the Ministry, he'll have to earn it like everyone else. I'm not about to make short cuts for him or anyone else."

Wesley harrumphed and turned his attention back to Remy. "I'll tell him. After I've dealt with this minor annoyance."

"Leave him alone, Wesley."

"I'll leave him in pieces."

Remy just grinned as Wesley pulled his wand from his back pocket.

"Well draw your wand, runt. What are you waiting for?"

"I ain't got one."

"What?"

"I don't have a wand."

Wesley looked like he was about to have a temper tantrum. He stopped just short of stomping his foot. "But … how can you not have a wand!"

Remy shrugged. "I got a set of fists if that helps you."

Wesley practically vibrated with anger and then made a move with his hand. Sienna's wand was immediately in her hand as she placed herself firmly in front of Remy. Remy merely balled his right hand into a fist.

"Problem, Mr. Henderson?" The deep voice, with a slight hint of a Scottish accent, came from behind Remy. Remy didn't look around. He remained focused on Wesley, who stared at a point past Remy's shoulder and visibly paled.

"Er … er … er … no … no not at all, I … er … was … er …"

"Was just leaving?"

"Yes, yes. Just leaving. Come on Tank." The two boys scrambled off down the street at speed, not looking back once.

Remy looked round, and then up. This guy was built like Mad-Eye, but taller, with broad shoulders, short jet black hair, and eyes as black as coal that seemed to look straight through you. Despite their blackness, there was a mischievous twinkle in them, although Remy had a feeling that twinkle could vanish at a moments notice.

"Hi Fitz."

"Hi Sienna. And you are?"

"Remy."

"Well, hi Remy. Where did you find this one, Sienna? Sparky little thing, isn't he?"

Sienna grinned. "Yes, he is. Very sparky. And funny too. And I'm keeping an eye on him for Mad-Eye."

Fitz's eyes widened. "Are you now?"

Remy groaned. "Yeah, and I'm supposed to be staying out of trouble. I think I just blew that."

Fitz chuckled. "You dinnae start it, Remy. You were just sticking up for a friend. If Mad-Eye has a problem with it, tell him to see me. Doubt he will though."

Remy tilted his head on side considering this. "Thanks. And thanks for the assist."

"Anytime, lad. Oh, and Sienna, good answer to Henderson's proposal. If he was half as good as he thought he was, he wouldn't have a problem getting a job."

Sienna nodded, suddenly serious. "That's his third go at me in the last couple of weeks. He's getting to be more than an annoyance."

Fitz's eyes narrowed. "I'll have a word. See you later, Sienna. And it was good to meet you, Remy." He turned and walked off.

Sienna looked at her watch. "Damn, we're going to be late." The pair hurried off to meet Mad-Eye.

* * *

They were sitting outside Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. They were the only customers sitting outside, everyone else preferring to sit inside. Remy had a feeling that was as much to do with Mad-Eye being outside as it did the weather. It was actually quite a warm day for early March. Mad-Eye had a glass in front of him, the contents of which he'd immediately emptied into a nearby plant pot, refilling it from his hip flask, and earning him an eye roll from the proprietor. Sienna was wading through a strawberry ice cream sundae with great gusto, and Remy was working his way slowly through a citrus version that hadn't even been on the list of sundaes available. It had been specially concocted for him when he'd said he didn't like strawberry, but he did like orange.

Mad-Eye had refused Remy's offered sweets with a grin and a ruffle of the hair, and Sienna was now filling him in on their encounter with Wesley. Remy was relieved to note that Sienna's account completely failed to mention the part about him dumping Tank on the ground. Remy busied himself in an in depth examination of the inside of his sundae glass. Sienna finished hers with a lick of the lips.

"I need another. Want one, Remy?"

Remy shook his head. "No thanks. I haven't finished this one yet."

"Ok. Back in a sec." She headed inside. Remy pulled the remaining coins out of his pocket and made to hand them back to Mad-Eye, but he shook his head.

"Keep them, Remy. Call it pocket money."

Remy practically beamed. "Thanks."

"Nice leg sweep by the way."

Remy blinked. Mad-Eye had seen that? How? Remy had been sure he'd been nowhere near. Mad-Eye chuckled and rubbed his left eye.

"Oh. Wow. You saw?"

Mad-Eye nodded. "Shhh. Don't tell Sienna. I think she thinks she got away with the edited version. I'll let her know she didn't later."

Remy frowned a little. "But she stood up for me."

"I know. I saw. She also let herself get distracted and outflanked. And you protected her."

Remy shrugged. "I like her."

Mad-Eye nodded. "Me too, kiddo. Me too."


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Remy looked in the window of Flourish and Blotts bookshop and frowned.

"I'm not really much of a reader."

"Well now's your time to start, Remy. You've got a lot to learn and I can't tell you everything you need to know. Some things you're going to have to learn for yourself, and reading about them is a good start. Then if you still have any questions, I can try to answer them. Ok?"

Remy shrugged resignedly. "I guess so."

Mad-Eye led the way inside. Remy stared around in awe. It hadn't looked to be a big shop from the outside, but inside it seemed huge. Rows and rows of books as far as he could see. In fact, Remy was pretty sure he'd never seen this many books before in his entire life.

"Wow!"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "I have a list of books I need to get for you. Could take me a while. You go see if you can find something you actually want to read."

"Like what?"

"Like anything. Any book you want. Whatever you like the look of. Just as long as it has words in it and not just pictures."

Remy nodded, a little uncertainly. "Ok, I'll see if I can find something."

* * *

Remy wandered aimlessly up and down the rows of books, not sure what he was looking for. There were headings on some of the book cases, but not the usual types of headings like Crime or Sports. Theses were Potions … Charms … Runes … Transfiguration … History. Hmm, well History sounded familiar at least. And boring. Onto the next bookcase. Muggles. Remy scratched his head. Astronomy. Ah, now that was more like it. He liked staring up at the stars. Maybe he could find one that would teach him what the stars were actually called. He flicked through a couple of the Astronomy books. They all seemed big and very complicated, with lots of strange words and few pictures of actual stars. Remy sighed. This was ridiculous. He wasn't sure he wanted a book if they were all like this.

"Ah, Remy. I thought you might be here somewhere. I saw Alastor prowling the Potions section." Dumbledore smiled down at Remy, who returned the smile somewhat warily. "An interest in astronomy?"

Remy tilted his head to the left. "Sort of. Well. Not exactly. I'm supposed to be choosing a book, and astronomy seemed like a good idea, but they're all … well … words."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Books usually are words, Remy. The trick is to find one with words you want to read."

A small woman came barrelling round the corner of the bookcase at that moment, almost colliding with Dumbledore.

"Oh. Professor Dumbledore. I'm terribly sorry. I didn't see you there. I was just … oh dear, what was I doing? Oh yes. Martin! Where are you? Terribly sorry, Professor." She bustled off again at speed.

"That's quite all right, Mrs. Watson, and I believe you should try Runes."

"Professor?" Remy tilted his head to the other side, re-evaluating Dumbledore.

Dumbledore just smiled. "Yes, Remy. I'm the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Oh."

Dumbledore nodded with a serious expression. "Yes, I get that reaction a lot. Oh."

Remy grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just I'm not a big fan of schools. I'm not much good at all that school stuff."

"Ah, I see. Well there are many aspects of education, Remy. Different people excel in different disciplines." A grumbling noise nearby made Dumbledore laugh." For example, Alastor is an excellent Auror, highly skilled at finding those who do not wish to be found, but he's apparently not very good at finding books in a bookshop."

Mad-Eye stuck his head round the edge of the bookcase. "It would help if I could read your writing, Albus. You sure a drunk spider didn't crawl across your desk when you weren't looking?"

Remy giggled. Dumbledore shook his head and smiled tolerantly at Mad-Eye. "Try the third shelf up, near the end."

Mad-Eye winked at Remy and headed off.

"Now, Remy, let us see if we can find you a book, shall we? Are you sure you want Astronomy, and not Astrology?"

Remy scrunched his face in thought. "What's the difference?"

"Well Astronomy is the study of celestial objects, like the planets and stars, while Astrology is making predictions using the stars."

Remy frowned. "You mean like Horoscopes?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Something like that, yes Remy."

"Ah, well in that case, definitely Astronomy. I just want to know what the stars are called."

* * *

When Remy and Dumbledore joined Mad-Eye at the counter, Remy had two books clutched in his hands. Mad-Eye raised an eyebrow.

"Two books? I thought you weren't much of a reader?"

"I'm afraid that's my fault, Alastor. Remy was torn between astronomy and mythical creatures. I suggested he try both."

"Well, add them to the pile."

Remy placed the books on the counter and peered wide eyed at the pile of books.

"Don't tell me you expect me to read all of these?"

Mad-Eye grinned. "Well not all at once, Remy. Eventually. Over time."

"Uh huh."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I'm afraid it's mainly my fault, Remy. It was a suggested reading list. It's basically the first year reading list for Hogwarts with a few additions. I thought it might help you understand about magic."

Remy still looked doubtful. "Thanks ... Professor."

* * *

"Where next?"

"Well I think you need new jeans, and a new top. You're wearing those out from the inside, Junior."

Remy peered down at his jeans. "What's wrong with my jeans? They're comfy."

"Uh huh. No left knee. Hole in one front pocket. One back pocket hanging off. Stitching in the side seam in danger of disintegrating in a strong breeze. And then there's the top. Worn elbows and frayed cuffs, plus it's getting a little bit small for you."

Remy muttered. "Fine, I need new jeans." He looked in the shop window and frowned. "Does this place even sell jeans?"

"They sell everything, Remy. And then we can get you a travelling cloak from Madam Malkin's."

"A travelling cloak?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Yes, Remy. Come on. I want to get back before it gets dark."

The shop did indeed sell jeans, and they even had some in Remy's size. Well they were a little bit too long, but a flick of a wand soon cured that. Mad-Eye added a couple of tee-shirts, a hooded top and various other items to the pile of purchases, as Remy tried not to sigh too much from sheer boredom.

Madam Malkin's was a completely different store. Remy wasn't sure he'd ever seen a shop that sold robes and cloaks before, but this one had every variety you could possibly wish for. They had fancy looking robes, as well as everyday cloaks and robes. They also had school uniforms prominently displayed, which Remy studiously ignored.

Remy kept quiet while Mad-Eye explained the type of cloak he was looking for. The shop-keeper looked Remy over thoughtfully, before disappearing into a back room, and re-appearing moments later with a couple of cloaks in her arms. Mad-Eye looked them over and picked one out.

"Try it on, Remy."

Remy grumbled under his breath, but tried the cloak on, with a bit of help from Mad-Eye. It was slightly too big, but Mad-Eye just chuckled and said he'd grow into it. Remy couldn't see the big deal. It was a cloak. Seen one cloak, seen them all. This wasn't a black cloak like the others he'd seen though. In fact, Mad-Eye has specifically said, not black. This was a dark grey, maybe even with a hint of green to it. Remy quite liked the color, but it was still a cloak. He didn't feel any warmer wearing it than he had before he'd put it on. What exactly was the point of the damn thing?

"How does that feel, Sir?"

Remy blinked. He'd never been called Sir before. Runt, squirt, idiot … but never Sir.

"Um … fine I guess, thanks. Doesn't really feel any different to not wearing it."

Mad-Eye merely nodded. "That's how it's supposed to feel, Remy. It's a temperature regulating travel cloak. It will keep you warm if it's cold, and cool if it's warm. We'll take it."

"Wrapped or to wear?"

"Wrapped is fine thanks, Madam Malkin. He won't be needing it just yet."

"Gives me a chance to grow into it," muttered Remy.

* * *

"Ok, Remy. Last stop, then we can go home."

"Thank god for that."

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Be grateful you're not the one carrying all of this stuff." Mad-Eye shifted the pack on his shoulder and pushed Remy into the shop.

Remy stared around, somewhat confused. The shop had looked unloved and unvisited from the outside, and the inside did nothing to contradict that impression. It was tiny. There was a counter and a single, spindly chair in the corner, and that was all there was space for. However, on the back wall, there seemed to be thousands of narrow boxes piled up to the ceiling. The whole place seemed to be covered in a thin layer of dust, forcing Remy to fight the urge to sneeze. An old man appeared, with wild white hair and eyes that were so silver in color they could have been liquid mirrors.

"Ah, Mr. Moody, and what brings you to Ollivander's today? Surely not in need of a new wand."

"Actually, I do need a new wand, but not for me. For Remy here."

Mr. Ollivander regarded Remy thoughtfully. "Hmmm. Not the usual type from the look of him."

Mad-Eye shook his head. "No. Not usual at all."

"Very well, I'll see what we have that may be suitable." He started rummaging through the narrow boxes, picking various ones, seemingly at random, then shaking his head and putting them back. "So, boy, do you know much about wands?"

Remy shook his head. "Not much. I know they don't all work for everyone the same way."

"True, Very true. You see, the wand chooses the wizard, not the other way around. The body of a wand is made from wood, each wood has different properties. And then there's the core. They can vary markedly. Hmm. Ok, try this one."

Remy took the offered wand gingerly and stared at it. It seemed ordinary enough.

"How does that feel?"

Remy shrugged. "It doesn't feel like anything."

"Hmm. No feeling at all?"

"No. Sorry." He handed the wand back.

"Hmm. Not hazel then. Maybe yew. Or ash."

For several moments he rummaged in more boxes while Remy watched, bemused.

"Ah ha! Try this one." Remy took the second wand, and immediately dropped it with a yelp. "Hmmm, ok, definitely not that one then." Remy blew gently on his fingers. "Hot?"

Remy nodded.

"Unusual indeed. I think I have just the thing."

Mr. Ollivander clambered up a ladder and opened one of the top boxes. He took out a wand and slid back down the ladder, handing the wand to Remy. "How about this?"

Remy cautiously took the wand. Somehow it felt right. Like it belonged. Remy examined it closely. It was about 10 inches long, pale creamy-brown in color, with a blue twist to the handle and a thin blue line along it's length.

"How does that feel?"

"Feels good." Remy gripped the wand like Mad-Eye had shown him. It really did feel right.

"Try it out."

Remy looked around at Mad-Eye, uncertain.

"You remember what I taught you. Try it."

Remy took a deep breath and tried the Lumos spell. To his surprise and delight, it worked perfectly, first time.

Mr. Ollivander nodded his approval. "Unusual indeed. Ash with a unicorn tail core. And a little extra twist. I never did understand that. This wand has been here for as long as I can remember, and a few have tried it, but it was no good for them. It seems perfect for you though."

Mad-Eye grinned and pulled some money out of his pocket. "Now I just have to teach you how to use it."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Remy was busy reading his astronomy book at the breakfast table, while shovelling large quantities of porridge down his throat. He hadn't been convinced at the idea of porridge, but Mad-Eye had made it and persuaded him to try it, and he had to admit, it tasted pretty damn good. He was vaguely aware of the conversation going on around him, but he wasn't paying much attention.

"… fifth break in this month already …"

"… escalating …"

"… security guard … hospital …"

"… muggle doctors! …"

"… warehouse … alarm system …"

Remy looked up, suddenly interested.

Mad-Eye chuckled. "For someone that doesn't read, it takes a lot to get your nose out of a book, Junior."

Remy blushed slightly. "Yeah, well, this one's interesting. What did you say about warehouse alarm systems?"

"Wondered what had caught your attention. Well at least now we know how to wake you up. The magic words … warehouse alarm system."

Remus laughed as Remy pulled a face at Mad-Eye. "You do realise, Remy, that you're one of the few people in the world that can pull a face at Mad-Eye and not get hexed into the middle of next week."

Remy grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, well, not sure how long I'll get away with it, so I'm making the most of it while I can.

Mad-Eye shook his head, trying not to laugh. "You two are rapidly turning into a comedy double act. Can we get back to business here, Remus?"

Remus winked at Remy and composed himself. "So we have a problem with break-ins at Muggle warehouses. How does that concern us, Mad-Eye?"

"Because they seem to be searching for magical artefacts. The Ministry, in its infinite wisdom, decided to hide various artefacts in plain sight so to speak. Seems to have backfired, and someone seems intent on tracking down all the items."

"Well why doesn't the Ministry just retrieve all the remaining ones?"

"Only one man had the list, and he's currently in St Mungos and in no fit state to help anyone with anything."

"Ah."

"Exactly. Ah. Typical Ministry planning if you ask me. They make a mess, we clean up after them."

Remy had been listening carefully. "So, what type of warehouses?"

Mad-Eye looked at Remy with narrowed eyes. "The warehouse type."

"No, I mean is there a specific type they're picking? Roller shutter doors, alarmed, small, large, that kind of thing."

"And your interest is?"

Remy tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Just curious." He fidgeted on his chair as Mad-Eye glared at him. "Ok, so I thought, maybe I could help, 'cause, um, well, um, I might know someone who, um, knows about that stuff …." He studied the remainder of his porridge.

Mad-Eye sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I know you're trying to help, but honestly, Remy, this isn't something I want you involved in. Understand?"

Remy just shrugged and avoided Mad-Eyes gaze.

"Remy!"

Remy shook his head, finally meeting Mad-Eyes look. "You're stuck. You don't know anyone that can help. I can help. I don't see what the problem is." He stared defiantly at Mad-Eye.

Mad-Eye just shook his head. "You know damn well what the problem is, kiddo."

Remy frowned. "No, I don't."

"Sully."

"Ah." Remy looked thoughtful. "I was sort of trying to forget about him."

"Well I was sort of trying not to forget about him. So you can forget about this. Got that."

Remy frowned at his porridge.

Remus scratched his head looking puzzled. "I hope someone has got that because I have no idea what we're getting or forgetting any more."

Remy opened his mouth to say something, and shut it quickly as Mad-Eye glared at him.

"I said no, Remy, and I meant it."

Remy sighed and buried his nose back in his book.

* * *

"Ok, Junior, I have to go out for a while, and Remus needs some sleep before he heads off, so are you going to be ok here?"

Remy looked up from his sketch pad and nodded. "I'll be fine, Al. Remus is only going to be upstairs if I need him anyway."

Mad-Eye looked slightly doubtful. "Hmm. Thing is, when Remus is really asleep, not a whole lot wakes him."

Remus yawned. "Hey, I'm not that bad."

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Yes you are."

Remus shrugged and grinned. "Ok, so maybe I am."

Mad-Eye looked back to Remy, who'd already returned to drawing. "I shouldn't be long. I'll take you to the skate park later, ok?"

Remy looked up with a huge grin. "Cool, thanks."

Mad-Eye grinned and headed out as Remus trudged upstairs to sleep. Remy continued sketching for a little while, listening carefully for any floorboard squeaks. Happy that Remus was sound asleep, Remy put his pad down and picked up the pile of papers Mad-Eye had been reading earlier. He thumbed through them, being careful to keep them in the right order.

They seemed to be in date order, with the newest incidents at the top. He read some of the reports. These newer reports seemed to be for warehouses with various security measures. Alarm systems, barred windows, extra locks. And whoever was trying to break in, wasn't very good. All messy forced entries, brute force and ignorance, and a few that they hadn't even managed to get into. Amateurs. Remy rifled through to the earlier break ins. Most of these reports were very brief with little information in them. The warehouses involved all seemed to be small and with little in the way of security. And whoever had broken in, had made a clean job. The locks had simply been picked, or the windows opened. No smashed windows or battered doors.

Remy suddenly stopped and blinked. No. Couldn't be. That address was familiar somehow. He checked the date. Oh god, it matched. Coincidence. Had to be. He flicked to the previous report. No. This wasn't happening. He checked a few more. Damn! This wasn't coincidence. He'd done at least 6 of theses warehouses. Well, he'd opened them for Sully anyway. Remy stared at the reports blankly for a while, wondering how he was going to tell Al.

'You know those warehouses you told me to keep out of? Well it turns out I've already been in them.'

No.

'Erm, you know you said you didn't know who was breaking into those warehouses? Well you were wrong. You do know them. It's me.'

No.

'I really can help with those warehouse break ins. I can tell you exactly how I got in.'

Al was going to kill him. Unless ... Maybe if he found out who Sully was working for, maybe then it would be ok. Remy grabbed his jacket and backpack and headed to the front door, pausing briefly to listen for signs of life from Remus, before quietly opening the door and slipping out.

* * *

"Wotcha, Harry."

"Remy! Where've you been, kid?"

"I've been around." Remy settled himself down on the low wall next to the old man and offered him half the Twix he'd bought earlier. Harry grinned and took it.

"Ah, you're a good kid. Always looking out for people you are."

Remy grinned and chewed his half of the chocolate biscuit. "How's tricks, Harry?"

Harry shrugged and swallowed the biscuit. "So so. Can't complain. Well I can, but who listens?"

Remy nodded. "Weather's getting better. Spring's just around the corner."

"About time too. My leg is really giving me jip. Lost Geoff to the cold in January."

"Really? Damn, he was one of the good guys."

Harry nodded sadly. "Aye, that he was. But he got chilled through and his chest got him. Always said smoking would be bad for him. Don't suppose you've got a cig on you kid?"

Remy shook his head. "I don't smoke, Harry, you know that."

"And make sure you never start either. Bad habit it is. Costs money too."

They sat quietly for a while, watching the pigeons fight for a crust of bread. Harry tugged a half bottle of brown liquid from his jacket and offered it to Remy, who refused with a grin. Harry took a long swig and stowed the bottle back safely.

"Purely medicinal, kid. Keeps the cold off."

Remy nodded. "So …. Has Sully been around at all?"

Harry inhaled sharply through his teeth, making a weird whistling noise through the gaps in them. "Oh yes, he's been around. Nervous he's got too. Always checking behind him, hates shadows. Not sure who got to him, but someone rattled his cage, mark my words. Never mentions you if that's what you're wanting to know. Has himself a new crew, not exactly subtle neither. All muscle and no brains. He's getting messy. Nearly had the cops on him twice. Sloppy work, not like him, used to be meticulous about stuff. Bet if you showed up he'd bite your hand off to get you back on side. Could make yourself a nice bit of dosh there I bet. He's desperate for something and he wants it fast."

Remy listened intently. "Yeah? You know what he wants? Or who wants him to get it?"

Harry shook his head. "No idea, kid. But you're right, he's being paid to get something and I think his results are slow. Maybe he's getting pressure from his boss. No idea who that would be though. Whoever it is, he's in a rush to finish the job."

"Know where he's hanging these days? I checked down by the arches and no-one had seen him."

"Working out of some disused warehouse last I heard. Had a couple of guys guarding it permanent. Real bruisers. Reckon he's got more security than the places he's trying to get into. Not like him at all."

"Cheers, Harry."

"Anytime, kid, anytime."

* * *

Remy shivered and thrust his hands deeper into his pockets. March may have been warmer than January, but it still felt cold hidden down behind the empty boxes and crates at the edge of the alley with the wind whipping round the corner, and the slight icy drizzle wasn't helping much either. He'd been hunkered down for an hour or so, and he hadn't caught so much as a glimpse of Sully. The only people he'd seen had been the three guys guarding the place. All of them as wide as they were tall, and none of them with a degree in rocket science judging from their facial expressions.

He was just about to give it up as a lost cause when the big black sedan pulled into the alley. Remy burrowed in close against the boxes and peered out through a gap in the cardboard. The car stopped right by the warehouse door. One man got out. He had the same build as the warehouse guards, but he also had a look of intelligence too. A dangerous combination in Remy's experience. This was a man who knew exactly what he was doing, and how to get it done quickly and efficiently. He opened the car door for a second man. Smaller than the first, and dressed impeccably in a black pinstripe suit, pink shirt and maroon tie. He looked like a business man and seemed completely out of place in this back water. The bigger man walked closely beside him as they headed to the warehouse door.

One of the Neanderthals stuck his head inside the doorway and shouted something incoherent. There was a pause while the other 2 Neanderthals tried, and failed, to out stare the body guard. Remy had to fight the urge to laugh as one decided to study the sky and one suddenly decided his shoes were really interesting. There was a sound of scuffling behind the doorway, and Scully emerged, looking rather more dishevelled and flustered than Remy could ever remember him looking before. His usually immaculate slicked back hair looked unkempt, and his clothes looked rumpled, as though he'd been sleeping in them.

"I thought I told you never to come here." Even his voice sounded fraught and full of tension. Sully looked around nervously from side to side.

"Calm down. No one followed me here. I just wanted to check on my investments. Personally." The smart businessman's voice was dripping with breeding and money. Remy took an instant dislike to him.

"Well they're all safe, Mr. Smith. I have adequate security as you can see." Sully waved his arms vaguely in the direction of his guards. Mr. Smith regarded them critically, and did not look impressed.

"Have you had any more luck tracking down the remaining items?"

Sully dragged his fingers through his hair. "No. Not yet. Our information seems flawed. Plus they've increased their security. It's getting harder to check possible places."

"Hmmm. I thought you had someone who could gain entry with the minimum of fuss. Your very words I believe."

"Ah. Yes. Well he, er, proved to be somewhat of a liability. He's not with us anymore. Don't worry, he knew nothing about the operation, he won't cause you any problems. I have replaced him. A couple more weeks and the new guys should be trained up. We'll find your items, Mr. Smith, don't you worry."

"Oh, I'm not worried, Mr. Sullivan. Not worried at all." The smile he flashed at Sully was completely cold. Sully actually shivered. "Now if I could check on the items you do have."

"Of course, Mr. Smith. Right this way. Come on in. Move out the way, Barney, let the man in."

Remy waited until all the men were safely inside the warehouse before heading back to talk to Mad-Eye.

* * *

Remy sat on the bandstand, kicking his feet aimlessly and cursing his own stupidity. When he'd left the house, he'd never given a second thought to how he was going to get back in. Not until he'd returned, and realized he couldn't even see Number 13, let alone get in.

"Needed some air did you?"

Remy almost fell off the bandstand. He whirled round and grinned at Mad-Eye, but the grin faded in an instant when he saw the look on his face. He hung his head and muttered. "Sorry."

Mad-Eye took a step closer. "Where've you been?"

Remy avoided eye contact by studying his feet. "I just … um … wanted some air. Didn't think about getting back in. Don't know how. Sorry."

"And did you leave a note to say where you were going?"

Remy shook his head. "I wasn't leaving, well I never meant to, I just couldn't work out how to get back in."

"Uh huh."

"Sorry."

"So you said."

Remy studiously avoided looking at Mad-Eye, kicking at the dirt by his feet instead. Mad-Eye sighed.

"Come on, Junior, let's get inside before it gets dark."

He spun around and set off towards Number 13, checking carefully to make sure Remy was following.

* * *

_**Warning: this next part contains spanking (well an attempted one anyway - ended up mainly as bonding) – if that offends, don't read. Skip to the next chapter  
**_

Once inside, Mad-Eye hung his coat in the hallway and headed for the kitchen. Remy hung back, listening to the plates rattling. The house sounded eerily quiet. He snuck into the kitchen and stood quietly in the doorway, watching Mad-Eye as he made sandwiches.

"Remus still asleep?"

"No. He had to leave for a while. Full moon. He'll be back in a couple of days."

"Oh."

"Hungry?"

Remy nodded.

"You eat at all while you were out?"

"Um, I had a Twix."

"That all?"

"Um, yeah. I wasn't hungry."

Mad-Eye growled under his breath and pointed to a chair. Remy sat down. Mad-Eye slid a plate with a sandwich on in front of him.

"Eat."

He poured a glass of milk and put that next to Remy's plate, before sitting down to eat his own sandwich. They ate quietly, Mad-Eye watching Remy carefully, and Remy avoiding eye contact by studying the sandwich, the plate, the glass of milk, and a couple of cracks in the plaster work. Remy even cleared the plates and glasses without being asked. Mad-Eye just watched him.

"Ok Junior, time to talk. Sit."

Remy sat down, his heart sinking.

"So, where did you get to. And don't say the park."

Remy took a deep breath and finally looked Al in the eye. "I went to see a man about those warehouse robberies. And yes, I know you told me not to, but I had to because I read those reports, and yes, I know I wasn't supposed to do that either, but I did, and I had to check it out and I know who's doing it, or at least I know who's doing it but not really who he's doing it for and …"

"Woahhhh. Slow up. You read those reports?"

Remy nodded. "I know. I shouldn't have done. But they were there and I was curious, and I know that's no excuse. Look I'll just grab my stuff and leave."

"Who said anything about you leaving?"

Remy looked at Mad-Eye, and was a little surprised that he didn't look angry. "Um. Well, I just thought …"

Mad-Eye sighed. "No Junior. You didn't think. That's your problem, you don't always stop to think before you leap into things. Impetuousness of youth, you'll grow out of it. I hope. Ok, back to those reports. You read them?"

"Some of them. A few. I kinda picked through them. I left them in the right order though. I think."

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Slow down. Ok, so you read through some of them. And what conclusions did you leap to?"

Remy paused to get his thoughts in the right order. "Well the newer break-ins are being done by a different crew to the older ones. Amateurs, no style, they just break the doors down or smash windows. Brute force and ignorance. The earlier ones were better planned and thought out. They took time to get in, cleanly. Avoided any alarms, didn't break things, just got in and out with no fuss."

"Just the one crew, the earlier ones?"

Remy thought with his head tilted on one side. "No. I'd say at least two crews."

"Why?"

Remy studied his hands and mumbled under his breath. Mad-Eye raised an eyebrow.

"My hearing isn't that good, Remy, and if you say it's my age I swear I will hex you senseless."

Remy lifted his head and looked nervously at Mad-Eye. "'Cause I was one of the crews." He flinched backwards as he said it, as though expecting to be hit or yelled at.

Mad-Eye just smiled. "Is that why you thought I'd be kicking you out about now?"

Remy nodded, still watching the big guy nervously.

"Do I scare you that much, kid?"

Remy thought about that. Actually, Mad-Eye didn't scare him. He probably should have. He looked like he should have. Yet he didn't. He shook his head.

"I already knew you were working for Sully. I didn't for one minute think it was legal work, not a kid your age anyway. I never asked. I figured if you wanted me to know, you'd tell me, in your own time. You did what you had to do to survive. I'm not judging you on that, kid. Hell, I'm no angel myself. Done some stuff I'm not exactly proud of. Most people have."

Remy listened to this thoughtfully. "So you're not mad at me?"

"For doing something before I met you? How the hell could I be mad at you for that? True, I'd prefer you not to do that stuff again, but I'm not going to get angry at you because of your past."

Remy frowned and stared at his feet. "Really?"

Mad-Eye took a slow, calming breath. "Really. Come here."

Remy looked at him, then stood up and trudged to his side. Mad-Eye ruffled his hair and hugged him tightly. "I'm not mad at you for your past, Remy. However, I am mad at you for sneaking out of the house, without leaving a note, when you knew you were supposed to stay put, and for getting involved in these warehouse break-ins when I distinctly told you not to. I'm mad at you for chasing across London after a bunch of people who've put a security guard in the hospital, and I'm going to assume Sully is involved in all this, so I'm mad at you for chasing after him too. But I am not mad at you for your past." He released Remy from the hug and looked at him closely. "You look tired. I think it's time you got some sleep."

"But the warehouses, I mean I can help and …"

"Tomorrow, Remy. When you've had some sleep. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Ok?"

Remy hung his head and nodded slightly.

Mad-Eye frowned. "Now what's wrong?"

Remy peered at him cautiously. "Well, you just said you're mad at me, and now I'm supposed to get some sleep?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Thought you might want me to calm down a bit and get less mad at you."

Remy tilted his head to the side. "Well. Yeah. I guess. But it also means I got all night to worry about it."

"Ah. Worried about what I'm going to do to you?"

Remy nodded.

"Well stop worrying. I'm not kicking you out."

Remy still looked unsure. "So what are you gonna do?"

Mad-Eye thought. "I'm not really sure, kiddo. Hadn't got that far. What normally happens when people get mad at you?"

Remy hung his head. "Normally get beat up a bit."

Mad-Eye frowned. "You mean Sully?"

Remy nodded.

"Well I'm not Sully. What about other people. You're not telling me Sully is the only person who's ever been mad at you."

Remy shook his head. "Nah. Had lots of people mad at me. Mostly people just use their fists. My mom used to throw stuff and lash out, but I could usually out run her. One of her boyfriends liked to use his belt. That hurt, he was a big guy."

Mad-Eye shook his head. "Well I'm not going to use my fists, kid."

Remy took a deep breath. "That's not what you said before."

Mad-Eye frowned. "When?"

"When I tried sneaking out before. You said if I did that again, you'd tan my hide."

"Ah, yes I did say that, didn't I? But that's not the same as using my fists. And you said you weren't trying to sneak out the same way."

"I wasn't. I meant to come back, I just couldn't work out how. But … I didn't leave a note."

Mad-Eye considered this. "No, no you didn't, and I was mad at you for sneaking out like that. And so was Remus."

Remy blinked. "He was?"

"Yes Remy, he was. He was worried about you. He even wanted to help me look for you. If it hadn't been for the full moon he would have done."

"I never meant for anyone to worry."

"Well we were both worried. And I have no way of letting Remus know you're ok, so he's going to carry on worrying until he gets back."

"Sorry. Didn't think about that."

Mad-Eye smiled and ruffled his hair. "I know, Remy. You're not used to people worrying about you. But you're going to have to get used to it pretty damn quick or I'm going to end up grey a lot faster than I was intending."

Remy managed a weak smile. "Sorry."

"So, do you think you've earned yourself a trip over my knee, Remy?"

Remy blinked. He'd screwed up, he knew he had, and he'd expected Al to kick him out, or yell or something, but he hadn't expected that, or rather not to be asked if he thought he deserved it. He shrugged. "Dunno. Probably."

Mad-Eye sighed. "This isn't something I want to do, Remy, but if it lets you know someone cares about you, maybe it's exactly what you need." He tugged Remy over his lap. Remy didn't fight or try to get away. He just let Mad-Eye position him, one hand firmly on his back, holding him securely in place. "So why are you getting this spanking, Remy?"

Remy frowned, trying to think of the right answer. "For, um, getting involved in stuff I was told not to."

"And?"

Remy thought harder. "Um, because I snuck out without leaving a note"

"Close enough. Sneaking out without leaving a note and making Remus and I worry about you un-necessarily."

"I'm sorry."

"I know you are, Junior."

Remy expected Al to continue scolding him, so when the man's hand landed hard in the centre of his right cheek, he let out a small yelp of surprise. He hardly had time to think about it though, because almost immediately the large, solid hand fell again in the same spot on his left side. He yelped again as the sting set in, then bit his lip hard, determined to make no more noises.

Mad-Eye noticed the lip bite, and shook his head slightly. His hand fell hard and fast as he peppered Remy's entire behind with a series of stinging swats. Remy squirmed and wriggled, but made no noise. Mad-Eye sighed to himself. Stubborn kid. He rubbed Remy's back gently, waiting for him to stop biting his lip.

Remy lay still, wondering why Al had stopped. It didn't make any sense. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. He squirmed around to look at Mad-Eye, the expression on his face clearly showing his confusion, blinking back the tears. "Did I do something wrong?"

Mad-Eye shook his head. "No Junior. Maybe I did though. I'm not sure this is the best way … time … I don't know." He lifted Remy off his lap and sighed. "Molly was right. I don't have a lot of experience with kids."

Remy frowned and rubbed his backside unconsciously, making Mad-Eye chuckle. "Don't tell me that actually hurt."

"Stings more than hurts," Remy grudgingly admitted. "Would have hurt if you'd carried on though."

"Hmm, and you were expecting me to carry on."

Remy nodded and a single tear ran down his face. Mad-Eye wiped it away with his thumb.

"Sorry, kiddo." He pulled Remy into a tight hug. Remy was a little stunned. Al wasn't supposed to be the one saying sorry. This was all wrong. He was the one who'd screwed up, not Al. He was the one that had left without saying where he was going. He'd gone chasing across London when he knew he wasn't supposed to. He'd made Remus and Al worry. Remus. Damn he was still going to be worrying. He really had screwed up. Remy couldn't stop the tears from running down his face.

Mad-Eye felt the dampness on his chest and heard the muffled sobs. Well maybe that hadn't gone according to plan, but it seemed to have had the right outcome. He stroked Remy's back, holding him close with the other arm, murmuring quietly that it was all ok. When the sobs finally subsided to sniffles, he released Remy from the hug and wiped his face gently.

"I'm sorry," Remy whispered quietly.

"I know, Junior."

Remy glanced at the ground. "Are … are you still mad at me?"

Standing, Mad-Eye pulled the boy to him, wrapping his arms around him tightly. "No. It's over and done with. All forgiven."

Remy breathed a huge sigh of relief and relaxed in the hug, enjoying the feeling of being held close. It made him feel warm and safe and … and cared for.

Finally, Mad-Eye pulled back, offering Remy a small smile as he ruffled his hair. "I think it's time you got some sleep. We'll discuss the break-ins in the morning."


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

He was being chased. He wasn't sure what was chasing him, but he knew something was pursuing him. He didn't dare look back, just the sounds of destruction behind him were enough to dissuade him from doing that. No matter how fast he ran, he could hear it, feel it, getting ever closer, catching up to him.

He thought about turning to fight, but he wasn't sure how. He concentrated on running faster, on trying to put more ground between himself and whatever was chasing him.

Something brushed his hair, then grabbed it, tugging. He was dragged backwards, clawing at thin air in a desperate effort to get away. He landed on his back. Hard. And all he could see were two red eyes, glowing like embers. His skin crawled as he starred into their depths, seeing nothing but red and anger and evil.

He woke with a start, sitting bolt upright, panting hard. Every bone and muscle in his body screamed with fatigue. This lack of sleep was really starting to hurt. His eyelids were so heavy, he could barely keep them open.

Remy lay back down, allowed his eyes to close, and hoped he wouldn't dream.

* * *

Mad-Eye was uneasy. He really wasn't sure it was a good idea for Remy to show him and Fitz the way to the warehouse. Directions would have been enough. But Remy had insisted he couldn't remember the way again unless he actually went there, and he'd promised faithfully to wait patiently out of harm's way. But Mad-Eye was still uneasy.

He'd never really thought he would live a long life. His lifestyle was a dangerous one by choice. There was always the risk of injury, or death. Always one psychotic fool with more ambition than sense who wanted to make a name for themselves. No Auror lasted long if they were naive, and Mad-Eye could never be accused of naivety. Years of experience had made doubly sure of that. But today he was having doubts, and that made him uneasy. Doubts were not good. He needed to think clearly and act quickly, not second guess himself. It was fine when it was just his life on the line, but now Remy was involved. Albus had been right, it did make a difference. He didn't want to see the boy get hurt.

Mad-Eye double checked to make sure they weren't being followed. It paid to be paranoid, especially if there was a chance someone, or something, really was out to get you.

"Just down here ... the one at the end with the faded green roller shutter doors." Remy crouched down behind the packing cases and pointed out the warehouse.

Mad-Eye and Fitz looked the place over. It seemed like any other warehouse. Roller shutter doors with flaking paint. A door to one side with lettering on it that was so faded, it was impossible to read. A pile of packing cases to one side. The only distinguishing features were the two lumps lounging around outside the door. They really were as big as Remy had described, dressed in matching black trousers, boots and tight fitting grey sweaters. They had matching vacant expressions too. Luckily they were easy to tell apart, as the older one was completely bald with a goatee that looked as though a small child had drawn it on with a marker pen, while the younger one had close cropped black hair and gold ear rings in both ears. He was also a good 6 inches taller than his colleague, though possibly not quite as wide across the shoulders.

"Where the hell does this guy get his security? Neanderthals 'R' Us?" Fitz shook his head in disbelief.

Mad-Eye chuckled. "His taste in hired help has really gone downhill lately, hasn't it, Junior?"

Remy blushed and muttered something under his breath. Fitz just looked puzzled.

"Ok Fitz, ready? And you stay put here, Junior." Mad-Eye made sure Remy nodded his agreement, before both Aurors put on their cloaks of invisibility and made their way towards the warehouse.

Remy settled down, keeping a close watch on the warehouse, and waited. Patiently.

* * *

Fitz and Mad-Eye had made it to the warehouse doors un-noticed. Their only problem now, was how to get inside. The door opened a couple of times to let someone in or out, but each time, someone was standing in the doorway. They needed a distraction. Fitz saw the pile of cans first and kicked them over, with a little more aggression than he'd intended, disturbing a nearby slumbering cat at the same time. The cat immediately started caterwauling pathetically, and loudly. Mad-Eye grimaced, but the distraction worked well. One of the guards started shouting nervously at the cat to shut up, and another man opened the door and rushed out to see what all the commotion was about. Fitz and Mad-Eye took that as their invitation and quickly went through the open doorway into the warehouse.

Once inside they looked around, careful not to disturb anything that may give away their presence. The men inside the warehouse were milling around rather aimlessly, or playing cards in the corner. They seemed oblivious to the two Aurors in their midst. Fitz and Mad-Eye made their way upstairs to the office area. Fitz slipped past one guy into an office and checked out the paperwork that was laying around, while Mad-Eye made his way further down the corridor. He tried a couple of the doors and found they were open. By opening them quietly, he managed to sneak into the rooms unobserved, but found nothing of interest. He'd made his way to the far end of the corridor when Fitz rejoined him, shaking his head. He hadn't found anything of any real interest.

The last door was firmly locked. Mad-Eye took this as a promising sign. He studied the door for a moment. The locks seemed to be fairly standard Muggle issue, nothing a bit of magic couldn't open with ease. He grabbed his wand as Fitz stood guard. But just as Mad-Eye was about to open the door, Fitz nudged him. Four men were approaching rapidly. Two of them had clipboards and seemed to be arguing over them. One of the others had a key. Fitz and Mad-Eye stood to one side out of the way and watched as the man opened the door. All four men went inside, closely followed by the two Aurors.

Mad-Eye looked around. This was more like it. He recognized a couple of the consignment numbers on the boxes in this room. It seemed they'd found their missing magical items. Or rather, Remy had found them. He had to admit, the kid had done a good job tracking this place down. He doubted he would have found it half as quickly. Two of the men grabbed hold of a box and set off out of the room. Damn. They were moving the stuff. Mad-Eye and Fitz exchanged looks. They needed to move fast.

"Ok gentlemen, I told you I had your items safely stored."

Mad-Eye whirled round. Sully! With two other men. One sharply dressed in a pinstripe suit and carrying an ebony cane with a sliver carved tip, the other much bigger, dressed casually in a tight fitting black jumper and black trousers. These must be the two men Remy had described. These were the men Mad-Eye and Fitz wanted, the ones who'd hired Sully to steal to order.

The pinstripe man looked around the room. His gaze seemed to stop when it got to Mad-Eye and Fitz, and Mad-Eye had a prickling sensation on the back of his neck.

"Well well, it seems you have visitors." The words dripped off his tongue. Mad-Eye held his wand ready.

Sully looked around bewildered. "What do you mean, Mr. Smith. There's no-one here but us and my men."

Mr. Smith twisted the end of his cane and drew a wand, but Mad-Eye beat him to the draw.

"Stupefy."

Mad-Eye and Fitz both threw off their cloaks, since it was obvious they'd been spotted. Fitz moved to face off with the man mountain, while mad-Eye focused on Mr. Smith, while keeping a wary eye on a stunned Sully.

Mr. Smith had managed to duck and deflect Mad-Eyes spell and managed to cast one of his own.

"Incendio."

Mad-Eye ducked and deflected the spell, causing sparks to fly around him. Some of the sparks landed near a pile of old rags, and as they duelled, smoke started to rise. Fitz looked around.

"Aguamenti." The jet of water to extinguish the fire was too late. The flames had already taken hold and spread to a pile of the boxes.

Sully turned white. "That stuff is flammable!" He ran for the door as the others watched the flames lick at one box, scorching the sides. And then the box exploded. Mad-Eye reacted the fastest, throwing himself out of the way of the explosion, with Fitz right behind him. Mr. Smith threw himself at the doorway. His bodyguard seemed momentarily frozen to the spot, and was blasted back into the wall by the force of the explosion. The flames rose up around the remaining boxes.

"Out. **Now**." Mad-Eye moved remarkably nimbly for a big guy with one leg and reached the doorway slightly ahead of Fitz. The bodyguard had recovered and charged after them, desperate to get out rather than fight. Mr. Smith and Sully were nowhere in sight. The bodyguard pushed past them and ran for the exit. Mad-Eye spun round and cast a protective charm over the remaining artefact boxes, before setting off at pace back to the warehouse entrance.

"What about the artefacts?" yelled Fitz above the noise of further explosions.

"You want to go back in there and get them?" asked Mad-Eye.

"No," admitted Fitz. "Not really. Wow, he wasn't kidding about it being flammable. What the hell was that stuff?"

"No idea, Fitz. Right now I just want to get the hell out of here. Preferably in one piece. That protection charm should keep the stuff safe enough."

The two men exited the main warehouse doors just in time to see a couple of Sully's guards running off down the alleyway.

"Smart thinking. We better get out of here too, Mad-Eye."

"I don't think they're leaving as such, Fitz, more like pursuing. And I have a bad feeling I know who."

"Ah Shit. Remy."

* * *

Remy was running out of patience. Al and Fitz had been gone for a while. The small office door had opened and closed a couple of times as the guards switched around. One of the Neanderthals had got nervous when a cat knocked over a pile of tin cans down the alley. Other than that, nothing much had happened. He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling Al and Fitz had got into the warehouse right after the cat incident, when the door had swung open as another guard rushed to see what the shouting was about. He hadn't closed it behind himself. That was really the only time the doorway had been clear.

The sound of a car engine made Remy duck further behind his boxes, peeking through the gap. It was the same black sedan as before, but this time there was a large white Ford Van close behind it. The smart pinstripe guy got out, swinging a black cane, and was immediately joined by the man mountain. Two other guys jumped out of the van, slightly smaller than the bodyguard, and slightly less well dressed too. They headed en masse to the warehouse door.

The roller shutter doors went up, as though their arrival had been expected. Several boxes were piled up just inside the doorway. Obviously, this was a collection, which meant the evidence Al and Fitz needed was about to leave. Remy thought hard. He'd promised to stay out of the warehouse. But he hadn't promised anything regarding any vehicles.

He crept over to the edge of the alleyway and edged his way slowly towards the vehicles, using the bins and abandoned boxes as cover. He slid past the sedan, giving it a cursory glance to make sure it was empty. The windows were tinted, but since the pin stripe man had got out of the back, and the bodyguard had got out of the drivers seat, he was fairly confident there was no one else in the car.

The van was a standard Ford Transit panel van. General debris was scattered across the dashboard. Today's newspaper, opened to the sport section. A troll doll with bright blue hair. Several take out wrappers and soft drink cans. Remy peeked in the window. Damn, they'd taken the keys with them, Well, since he couldn't just steal the keys, he'd have to get more creative. Remy had a quick look around, but everyone was busy chattering in the main doorway. Clipboards were being brandished. It seemed the men with the van wanted to collect something that wasn't on the list of the warehouse men. Pinstripe man stood to one side, with a bored expression on his face.

Remy dropped to the floor and slid under the van. He could just see a couple of pairs of feet in the doorway, but he was pretty sure they couldn't see him. He looked up into the main engine housing and tried to remember which wires lead where and did what. Ah, the battery leads. And the starter motor. He couldn't reach either of those, his arms just weren't long enough. Hmm, well slashing the tires might work. At least it would stop them moving the van. He tugged his small pocket knife from his pocket, and started stabbing at the tyres. The hard rubber was difficult to cut with his small knife, but he persisted.

Footsteps heading his way made him pause and hold his breath. The footsteps headed to the rear of the van, and the back doors were opened. There was a grunt and a bang as something was manhandled into the van. The footsteps headed back towards the warehouse. Remy continued cutting at the tires. He'd just got one tire done when the footsteps came back again. Remy stopped and waited. Another thud, sounds of someone clambering into the back of the van, then dragging noises. Then the footsteps headed to the warehouse once again.

Remy slashed furiously at a second tire. One flat was unlikely to stop them, but two might do it. He checked that all the feet were safely over by the warehouse before sliding back out from under the van, using the van to shield him from the warehouse. He wasn't sure he could get back to his original spot without being seen though. Maybe if he headed out of the front of the alley, he could swing round and end up back where he'd started.

That was when the warehouse exploded. Literally.

Remy stood rooted to the spot, shocked at the ear deafening bang. The sky turned black and smoky almost immediately. Orange flames licked out of the warehouse doorway. Blue lights sparkled and crackled in the sky. That wasn't right. That wasn't a fire. That was magic! He threw himself to the floor as another explosion rocked the warehouse, sending shards of glass from the upper windows flying through the alleyway. Luckily most of the glass flying Remy's way hit the van and the car, and one of the unfortunate guards stood outside, who screamed as one piece sliced his arm.

The other guards spun round at the sound of his screams, and suddenly spotted Remy. Despite the fact their warehouse was currently being rocked by loud explosions and was billowing smoke from the doorway, two of them seemed to think Remy was way more interesting and started to run in his direction.

"Oh shit." Remy scrambled to his feet and set off down the alley as fast as his legs could carry him. He darted left into another alley, hoping it would lead to a main road, only to find it was a dead end. He skidded to a halt and spun round. The Neanderthals were advancing towards him with predatory smiles.

Remy looked around desperately seeking a way out. He took a run and a flying leap up onto a dumpster, then jumped up, reaching for the fire escape. It was a move he'd done many times before, though never under these circumstances. His hands slipped a little on the rusted metal rungs, but he held tight. One of the Neanderthals made a lunge for his leg and managed to grab his ankle. Remy managed to wriggle around and kick at him with the other leg. The kick didn't land hard, but it was enough to loosen the man's hold and allow Remy to break free and scramble up the fire escape to the relative safety of the roof.

The roof was sloping, with glass sections letting light into the warehouse below. Remy started running along the apex of the roof, in the opposite direction to the fire, still hoping to find a more populated area and safety. He looked around and saw one of the Neanderthals had followed him up onto the roof, although he looked a lot less certain of his footing up here. Remy skidded down a section of roof to a lower level, in an attempt to make it harder for the guy to catch up to him. The Neanderthal showed no interest in following him down to this level, meaning that as long as Remy stayed down, the man wasn't about to grab him. It was harder to run on the sloping part, and he had to edge his way past the glass sections. He was just negotiating one such section when the next explosion ripped through the building and the roof literally disappeared from beneath Remy's feet.

He fell maybe 10 feet, and half expected to break his leg, or worse. Luckily, his fall was broken by a pile of empty cardboard boxes. He lay still for a moment, making sure all his limbs were intact. He picked his way out of the boxes to the sound of loud cursing, and realized his pursuer had also fallen through the roof, although he had fallen slightly further by virtue of being higher up the roof. He was also a lot heavier than Remy, so the boxes hadn't broken his fall quite as well. From the curses and grunting, he did however sound to be fairly healthy, and angry, and Remy didn't intend to stick around and compare injuries.

He set off running towards the door, and yelped as his ankle screamed in pain as he put weight on it. Cursing under his breath, Remy limped towards the door. As he reached out his hand to open the door, it burst open, and Neanderthals colleague was stood in the doorway. Remy looked behind. The other man mountain was approaching quickly, holding his arm awkwardly and panting hard. Remy looked round for a different escape route. And then the floor collapsed from under them. Again.

Remy landed with a thud on yet another pile of boxes, this time not quite as soft a landing though as these boxes weren't empty. He covered his head with his arms as part of the roof fell on top of him, and felt his lungs fill with dust. He coughed and spluttered, and lay still as the dust cloud settled. He could see straight up to the sky through the jagged remains of the floor above and what was left of the roof. Well to what sky wasn't blotted out by black smoke clouds. It seemed that the fire was spreading through the building. He had to get out. Now. He tried to scramble to his feet, and discovered to his horror that his leg was pinned in place by one of the roof beams.

He clawed frantically at the beam, trying to yank his leg free, but it was no use, he was held fast. He coughed as the approaching smoke started to gather around him like a fog. He half wondered whether the smoke would kill him before the flames got to him. The whole building creaked and groaned and more debris shuttered down, adding more dust to the thickening cloud of smoke. Remy increased his efforts to wriggle free. If he could just turn his leg a little more ... He never even saw the lump of falling debris that hit him on the head and turned the world black.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Remy blinked his eyes open slowly, aware of a dull throbbing pain in his head, and in his leg. He wriggled his fingers experimentally. They seemed to be working alright. The toes on his right foot seemed ok too. His left leg hurt when he tried moving his toes. Actually his left leg hurt when he didn't try moving his toes. He looked down at the bed. His leg was there. In some sort of cast by the look of it. Well that explained why he couldn't move it. He released a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. For one nasty moment, he'd thought … well … anyway, his leg was still attached, even if it did hurt.

He peered around the dimly lit room, grateful there wasn't more light. It looked like he was back in that hospital place … what had Al called it? St Mungos? Something like that. His mouth felt really dry and his chest felt tight. Breathing was harder than it should have been. It was like someone was sitting on his chest. He coughed, and his entire body jerked in pain as the single cough developed into a full blown coughing attack. He was coughing so hard he couldn't breath.

He was dimly aware of someone appearing by his bedside, and pressing something to his mouth, urging him to sip, but he was coughing too much. A pale blue light seemed to swim in front of his face, and his coughing eased. He managed to take a small sip. The liquid was quite sweet, cool and refreshing. His mouth felt better, and so did his throat as the liquid trickled slowly down. He sighed and sank back on the bed, exhausted from the coughing fit, closing his eyes and letting sleep wash over him.

* * *

Remy woke slowly. His chest wasn't hurting as much, but his head and leg were still throbbing. He blinked at the brighter lights.

"Hey, you're awake."

Remy peered cautiously in the direction of the familiar voice. Remus! He opened his mouth to say hi and was immediately shushed by Remus.

"No talking, just lie quiet. Your lungs are still recovering from all that smoke you inhaled. Just lie still, Remy."

Remy nodded and closed his eyes.

* * *

He was pinned to the floor, unable to move, something heavy pressing on him. The room was so dark, he could barely make out the walls. And then the smoke appeared. Slowly at first, creeping it's way around him, but then it flooded in faster, getting increasingly denser, until he could barely see his own hand.

He stared into the smoke, seeing shapes and patterns in the swirls. A dragon …. A tornado …. A tree bending in the wind. Hmm, it was getting hot. He looked around, but couldn't see anything. He could smell something though. Something more than just smoke. Burning. Acrid and powerful. He coughed as the smell found its way into his lungs.

There was an orange glow. There, just at the edge of his vision. Dancing orange … red … yellow … flames, it was flames. The heat intensified. The smoke thickened. He coughed and tried to get free, but he was held fast by something. He coughed more, almost choking, the smoke stinging his eyes. He needed to get free, he needed to breathe clean air.

He woke with a start, coughing violently.

"Hey, calm down, Remy, try and breath … here, have a drink." Remus held the glass to his lips and he managed to take a sip between racking coughs. The liquid helped and his coughs eased and calmed. He lay back down, exhausted, but unwilling to try sleeping again.

Remus put the glass down and sat back down by Remy's bed, looking concerned. Remy looked terrible. Pale with tired eyes which seemed to have a haunted look to them. Not his usual self at all.

"H … how … did … I … "

"Shhh Remy, don't try talking. How did you get here? Is that what you want to know?"

Remy nodded.

"That was Fitz and Mad-Eye. They got you out of the warehouse and brought you here. And yes, before you ask, they're both ok. Though they wanted to know who slashed the van tires?"

Remy managed a somewhat sheepish expression.

"Yes, they thought it was probably you. Good thinking by the way." He smiled at Remy, who tried to smile back, but just relapsed into another coughing fit. He struggled to try and sit up, shaking his head when Remus tried to make him lie down. Remus seemed to understand and helped him to sit, rubbing his back gently as his coughs eased, before settling him back against the bed head, propped up on pillows. Sat upright made breathing a little easier and Remy sighed as he managed to get a decent lung full of air.

"Better?"

Remy nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet. Remus sat back in his chair. Remy closed his eyes and tried to relax. Relaxing made his chest less painful.

He woke with a start and wondered for a moment where he was. He looked around, confused. Oh, that was right. St Mungos. Remus was asleep in the chair next to his bed, his long legs stretched out, his arms crossed over his chest and his head lolling to one side. A nurse was making notes on a chart at the foot of the bed. She smiled reassuringly at Remy.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Feeling any better?"

Remy nodded. She took his temperature and checked his pulse, smiled and made more notes.

"Hungry?"

Remy shook his head.

"Thirsty?"

He nodded and she handed him a glass of water from the bedside cabinet. He took a couple of slow sips, allowing the water to trickle slowly down his throat, before handing the glass back.

"If you need me, just shout out." Remy raised an eyebrow and she smiled. "Or throw something at the wall. I'm sure you'll attract my attention somehow." Remy grinned and settled back against the pillows, and was immediately asleep.

* * *

"Morning, sleepyhead."

Remy yawned and stretched as his eyes fluttered open, and winced as his chest complained about the stretching.

"Ow."

"I'll second that ow." Remus rotated his head around gingerly, massaging his neck. "Remind me not to fall asleep in a chair again in a hurry."

"You been there all night?"

"Didn't mean to be, but yes, I fell asleep. And you're sounding better today."

"I feel better. When can I get out of here?"

Remus laughed. "Slow up, Remy, I think the healers will want you for a while longer. You inhaled an awful lot of smoke, and your leg took a fair battering too."

Remy sighed and looked at his leg. "It doesn't hurt that bad."

"Well it still needs time to heal. Ok, I have to go. You rest up, Remy, and don't give the nurses too hard a time, you hear?"

Remy nodded, then hung his head and peered at his fingers intently. "I'm sorry, Remus."

Remus frowned. "Sorry? For what?"

"For worrying you before, when I snuck out while you were sleeping. I didn't mean to, well I meant to sneak out, but I meant to be back before you woke up and…"

"Hey, slow down. You're supposed to be resting, remember? And it's alright, I know, you meant to be back and couldn't get in. Mad-Eye told me. You're ok, that's all that matters. Now get some rest."

* * *

Remy stared at the ceiling. It was a very plain, boring, slightly off white ceiling. No interesting cracks. No holes or flaking plaster work. Plain, off white, flat, featureless and boring. He sighed. He was bored. He seemed to be on some sort of side ward. There were only 4 beds, and his was the only occupied one. The nurses checked on him regularly, and the doctor, or rather healer, had been to check him over a couple of times. They sounded pleased with his progress, but the question of when he could leave had been blatantly ignored by everyone.

He felt better. He hadn't coughed all day. Well not much anyway. His leg was 'responding to treatment' and didn't hurt half as much. He couldn't see why he couldn't go home. Ah. He didn't have a home to go to. That could be a problem. He sighed. Al hadn't been to see him once. That meant he was mad at him for going into the warehouse when he'd promised not to. He hadn't meant to go in, it wasn't his fault the roof collapsed. Seemed he was going to need somewhere new to live. He wondered if they'd still send him back to America. Maybe if he asked, they would. Nothing left here for him now. Might as well start again, someplace new.

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

* * *

"You should go see him, Mad-Eye, he's looking a lot better." Remus sipped his tea and watched Mad-Eye as he literally threw papers from his desk, searching for one particular one.

"He couldn't look much worse, Remus. He stopped coughing yet? I swear I thought he was going to cough a lung up."

"Seemed much better this morning. I think he actually got some sleep too."

"That would be a first. You found it, Fitz?"

Fitz stuck his head over the cubicle wall. "No, I told you, it was in that second pile, on your desk."

"Well I can't find the damn thing."

Remus reached over, picked up a pile of papers, rifled through them and picked one out, handing it to Mad-Eye.

"Ah. Thanks Remus. Come on, Fitz."

"And you'll go see Remy?"

"Yes Remus, right after we check out this warehouse."

* * *

It was late when Remus looked back in on Remy. He smiled to himself as he peeked in the side ward. Remy had somehow managed to maneuver himself so he was on his side, curled up, clutching the sheets tightly. Remus crept over to the bed and sat down quietly. He watched Remy sleep for a while, before his own eyelids started to close from tiredness. He grabbed a pillow from an empty bed and settled down, trying to make himself comfortable.

* * *

Remy woke up coughing. He'd had the dream about the fire again. Remus handed him a glass of water and he sipped gratefully.

"Thanks."

"Did Mad-Eye come by yesterday?"

Remy shook his head.

"Strange. He said he would."

Remy just shrugged and curled back up. Why would Al bother coming to see him, unless it was to tell him he didn't want him around anymore. He closed his eyes to stop the tears.

"You alright, Remy?" Remus sounded concerned. Remy just tugged the covers over his head. "Hey, Remy, come on, are you ok?"

"Leave me alone." Even to Remy's ears, his voice sounded petulant.

"I'm not going anywhere until I know you're ok."

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone."

Remus frowned, unsure how to react to this. "If that's what you want?"

"It is. Go away."

Remus sighed. "I'll be back when you're feeling better, Remy."

Remy lay quietly until he was sure Remus had left, and then sobbed himself to sleep.

* * *

Remus dropped himself into a chair in the Aurors office, obviously deep in thought. Mad-Eye looked up and frowned.

"Everything ok, Remus?"

"No. No it isn't. Did you get in to see Remy yesterday?"

Mad-Eye shook his head. "It was pretty damn late when we finished up. I thought he'd be asleep. Why?"

Remus frowned. "Not sure. Definitely something wrong with him today. He actually told me to get out and leave him alone."

Mad-Eye put his pen down and mirrored Remus's frown. "Remy did? Told you to get out? That doesn't sound like him."

"No, I know. Not sure what's wrong with him. The healer said he'd had a peaceful day and was making good progress."

"Maybe he was just tired. I'll look in on him a bit later."

"Well take him something to cuddle. If he hugs those sheets any harder, he'll strangle them."

* * *

Remy was feeling sorry for himself. He ached and he was homeless … again. It wasn't exactly a new experience, it had happened to him before, more than once, but for some reason he couldn't quite work out, this time it hurt. He lay quietly in the bed, trying not to think about anything in particular. He was compliant with the healers and nurses, putting up with their poking and prodding without a word. He asked a couple of times about when he could leave, but got no answer. Well that was ok too. He'd just leave when he felt ready. Maybe tomorrow. If his leg would carry him anyway.

Almost as though they were psychic, two nurses appeared and explained they wanted to see if he could put any weight on his leg. From the looks on their faces and the fact there were two of them, Remy guessed they were doubtful. And at first, his leg felt weak and wobbly and it hurt to put weight on it. However, with a little persistence and stubbornness on Remy's part and a helping hand from the nurses, he managed to hobble the length of the ward and back.

"Not bad at all, Remy." The healer in the doorway smiled encouragingly at Remy.

"Thanks … um … doc."

The healer chuckled. "Call me Doug."

"Ok. Thanks, Doug."

Doug signalled to one of the nurses and took her place by Remy's side, helping him back to bed. "I doubt you'll be running a marathon anytime soon, but you should be able to hobble around unaided by tomorrow, and then we can see about letting you go home."

Remy nodded and winced as he got back into bed.

"Ok, well let's get this cast off your leg and let it heal on it's own for a while. If it hurts too much, just let someone know and we'll try something else." He smiled at Remy, hoping for a smile in return, but Remy just nodded. Doug frowned to himself. Strange, yesterday all Remy had wanted to know was when he could leave, and now he didn't seem interested. He was probably just tired. He looked tired. Pale skin, dark circles below his eyes. That would explain it. Tiredness. Well hopefully he'd get a good nights sleep and be brighter tomorrow.

* * *

Mad-Eye headed through the hospital towards Remy's ward. One of the healers stuck his head out of his office as he heard the clomping down the corridor. "Ah. Mr. Moody. Can I have a word please?"

Mad-Eye slowed down and growled at the man. "Which word would you like? How about 'No'."

The healer just grinned, his blue eyes twinkling as he ran his hand through his close cropped greying hair. "Ah. That wasn't the word I had in mind. It's about Remy."

Mad-Eyes expression changed from a dark frown to one of concern. "What about him? Is he ok?"

"He's fine, just fine. Doing remarkably well actually. He seems to heal fast. We've had him walking a little this afternoon, and we've taken the cast off his leg. His lungs are almost clear. I'm just a little worried about his … mental state, and that's not quite the right term. He just seems quiet, depressed, withdrawn. We can barely get a word out of him, and nothing close to a smile all day. He's not eating either."

Mad-Eye considered this for a moment. "Remy is quiet, until you get to know him anyway. He's not a big fan of people, especially strangers, and he has a healthy dislike of hospitals and healers. Depressed doesn't sound like him though. And nor does not eating. He usually has a healthy appetite."

Doug nodded. "Thought so. I'm hoping he's just tired."

"He's a bad sleeper," conceded Mad-Eye. "He has nightmares."

"Well we'll keep an eye on him. Just thought I'd check and see if his behavior was normal. Maybe seeing you will cheer him up."

* * *

Mad-Eye stood in the doorway of the small side ward and looked over at Remy. He was curled up in the bed, clutching the sheets firmly, his eyes tightly closed. Too tightly closed. He wasn't asleep. Mad-Eye shook his head. Very unlike Remy.

"Hey, kiddo, how you doing."

"Leave me alone."

Mad-Eye opened his eye in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You heard. Leave me alone."

Mad-Eye limped over to the bed and peered down at Remy. He looked pale, apart from the dark circles around his eyes. He looked like he'd been crying too. He reached down to ruffle Remy's hair, but Remy jerked his head away.

"Gerrof."

"What's wrong, Remy?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. I screwed up, I get it. Now leave me alone."

"Screwed up? What the hell are you talking about, Remy?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter. Go away. Leave me Alone!"

Mad-Eye stood still for a few moments, looking down at Remy, stunned at his reaction. The he turned and limped out. Remy lay still, listening to the thuds as he walked down the corridor, then he tugged the sheets up over his head and sobbed into his pillows.

* * *

Mad-Eye headed up to the visitor's tearoom on the 5th floor in a bit of a daze. Even though the healer had told him Remy was acting a little strangely, he hadn't expected the reaction he'd got. He paid for his tea and sat down, staring unseeing at the cup in front of him, trying to work out what the hell was going on in the kid's head. What had he meant, 'he'd screwed up'?.

"Alastor. Are you feeling alright?"

Mad-Eye shook his head to clear it and looked up. Molly Weasley was smiling down at him with a look of concern.

"Huh. Oh, yes fine thanks, Molly. Kids ok?" A worried look flitted across his scarred face.

"Oh yes, they're all fine thanks," she hastened to reassure him. "I'm just visiting an old friend. It's not like you to actually drink tea in a tearoom."

"What?" Mad-Eye stared at the teacup as though seeing it for the first time. "Oh, that." He looked around for a plant to pour the tea into. Molly smiled and handed him an empty cup. "Thanks." He swapped the cups, poured a small amount of liquid into the empty cup from his hip flask and enlarged it, before taking a drink.

Molly settled herself into the chair opposite Mad-Eye and took the full cup of tea, adding a spoonful of sugar from the bowl on the table. "Visiting?"

"Huh? Oh. Yes. Remy. He fell off a roof."

Molly's smile immediately turned into a concerned expression. "Oh dear. Is he ok?"

"He's fine. Well. No. He's not fine. I mean he is, but … Oh hell Molly, how in Merlin's name do you cope with 7 kids?"

Molly chuckled. "Being difficult is he?"

Mad-Eye sighed. "I don't know what he's being. He's healing well, but this morning he told Remus to get out and leave him alone, and he's just told me the same thing. I have no idea what's got into the boy's head."

Molly frowned. "When you say he fell off a roof, was he supposed to be on the roof?"

Mad-Eye rubbed his forehead. "Not exactly, but he didn't have much of a choice. It's complicated, Molly."

"Hmm, I see, and are you mad at him for being on the roof?"

"No."

"Does he think you're mad at him for being on the roof?"

"No. Well. I don't know. He said he screwed up. I have no idea what he meant."

"Well in my experience, Alastor, children tend to see the world a little differently to adults. If Remy wasn't supposed to be on the roof, perhaps he thinks you're angry at him for being up there. Maybe you should tell him you're not."

"He told me to leave him alone, Molly."

She laughed. "Alastor Moody, since when have you followed orders, especially from an eleven year old boy."

Mad-Eye chuckled.

"Look, he's probably turned this whole thing into something it isn't and he's feeling sorry for himself right now. Telling you and Remus to go away is his way of punishing himself for whatever it is he thinks he did wrong. Either you can leave him alone and let him fret even more about it, or you can go and talk to him and work out what's worrying him."

Mad-Eye took another sip of his drink. "Not sure I know where to start. He won't even look at me."

"Just be patient with him. Heavens, if people could hear me say that to you." She shook her head as he chuckled. "Distract him. Small boys are easily distracted. Take him a present."

Mad-Eye thought about that. "Remus said I should take him something to cuddle. He tends to clutch the sheets so tightly it's like he's trying to strangle them. But he's too old for teddy bears, isn't he?"

"Not necessarily. It would depend on the bear of course. Charlie still has a cuddly dragon and he's a year older than Remy. Didn't take it with him to Hogwarts of course, but it's on his pillow at home, waiting for him."

Mad-Eye swallowed the remainder of his drink and stood up. "Thanks Molly. I think I need to go shopping. Not sure they're going to have what I'm looking for though."

"Well the gift shop here is very well stocked, and I'm sure we can adjust something if necessary. I've had plenty of practise in altering soft toys to suit my brood."

"In that case, I'll be right back."

* * *

When Mad-Eye looked back in the ward, Remy was curled up in bed with the sheets over his head. He put the present down by the side of the bed and lowered himself onto the bed.

"Go away." Remy's voice sounded muffled from under the sheets.

"No. Not a chance, kiddo. Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine. Leave me alone."

"No. You're not fine. Now get out here and talk to me."

"Why? So you can tell me to get lost? You can do that from there."

"And why am I telling you to get lost?"

"Because I screwed up."

Mad-Eye rubbed his forehead. Patience was one thing, but this was like pulling teeth. "How did you screw up?"

"Well, you pulled me out of the warehouse, you tell me."

"So, you were in a warehouse I told you to stay out of, is that how you screwed up?"

"Yes."

"And did you mean to go into the warehouse?"

"No." Remy's voice sounded a little less certain.

"Good. Because falling through a roof is a strange way to deliberately get into a building. I wouldn't want to think that's how you normally get into places."

Remy peeked out from under the sheets. "You … you know about that?"

"Fitz and I saw it happen, kiddo. Good job we did too, or we wouldn't have known you were in there."

"Oh."

"So, was falling through the roof part of the plan?"

"No. I didn't have a choice. They were chasing me and I ran down a dead end. Only way out was up. And then the roof … and the floor … " His voice trailed off as he remembered how he'd been pinned in the warehouse with the fire approaching.

Mad-Eye ruffled his hair, relieved that this time Remy didn't pull away.

"Thanks for getting me out." Remy's voice was very quiet.

"You're welcome, Remy. You might want to thank Fitz next time you see him though. He held the flames off while I got you out from under that rubble. Could have been tricky to get you out unsinged on my own."

"Ok. I will."

"So, still want me to get out?"

Remy shook his head. "I thought you were mad at me, 'cause you hadn't been in. I thought you were just going to tell me you were handing me over to the Ministry. Or the social workers."

Mad-Eye frowned. "What do you mean, I've haven't been in to see you. I stayed with you when we brought you in, until you woke up. You don't remember?"

Remy shook his head, puzzled.

"You woke up, coughing. The healers had to try a few charms to calm your breathing down before I could get any medicine into you."

Remy scrunched his face up. "I remember coughing. I couldn't breath. There was a blue light and someone trying to make me drink something. That was you?"

Mad-Eye nodded. "Yes Remy. That was me."

"Oh."

"I should have stayed longer, made sure you knew I was around, but I had to go sort some work out. I probably should have looked back in on you, but Remus seemed to have that covered. I think this time it's me that screwed up."

"How did you screw up? You saved me from the warehouse didn't you?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Ok, so how about we say neither of us screwed up."

Remy actually grinned. "I can live with that. So you're not sending me away."

"Hell no, kiddo. You're going to have to do better than that to get rid of me. That clear?"

Remy smiled and nodded.

"Good. Oh. I got you a present."

Remy blinked. "A present?"

"Yes. Blame Remus, his bright idea. I chose it. Molly Weasley adjusted it for me. Here you go."

He handed Remy the teddy bear. It was a soft, blonde bear, with brown paws and a little brown nose. A little lighter colored than most teddy bears, but otherwise fairly standard. Apart from the 'adjustment'. This teddy bear had a black eye patch over its left eye. Remy giggled. Mad-Eye grinned a little sheepishly.

"Seemed appropriate. And if you call it Mad-Eye or Al, I'll hex you into the middle of next week."

Remy took the bear from Mad-Eye and examined it. Soft and cuddly. He peeked under the eye patch, and grinned when he saw the bear still had a sparkling blue eye under the patch.

"He looks like a pirate."

Mad-Eye chuckled. "He does a little."

"Thanks." Remy lay down and cuddled the bear experimentally. He had to admit, it was better than cuddling the sheets. He yawned.

"Been sleeping ok?"

"Not really," Remy grudgingly conceded. "I keep dreaming about the fire in the warehouse and not being able to get out."

"Uh huh. Well you did get out, and you're going to be fine. So get some sleep."

"I tried. I … just wake up coughing, like the smoke in my dream is in my lungs."

Mad-Eye thought for a moment, before reaching a decision. "Budge up."

"Huh?"

"Budge up. These beds aren't exactly big."

Remy looked puzzled, as Mad-Eye threw his jacket and cloak on the chair beside the bed, and then added his leg to the pile. He swung himself onto the bed.

"Way too small. One of us rolls over in the night and we'll be out of bed."

Remy giggled at that thought.

"Damn, I should have grabbed a pillow. Oh well, it's not like there's anyone else around." He waved his wand. "Mobiliarbus." He grabbed the pillow as it drifted over. "Hmm, so just the size of the bed." He waved his wand again. "Engorgio". Remy held onto his new teddy bear tightly as the bed grew in size. "That's better. Ok Junior, time for both of us to get some sleep."

Remy grinned and fidgeted in bed, trying to get comfortable. Mad-Eye waited, patiently. "Merlin's teeth, settle down already will you? Ahh, hell, come here." He tugged Remy close and draped an arm protectively over the boy, smiling as Remy snuggled in close. "There. Comfy? Got your bear?"

"Patch," mumbled Remy sleepily.

"Patch?"

"S'what I'm calling him. Patch."

"Oh. Ok. Patch it is. Sleep well, Junior." He tugged the sheets up over Remy, laid his own head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Remus walked into the ward and stopped dead in his tracks. He looked for a moment, rubbed his eyes, then started laughing. Remy was curled up in bed clutching a teddy bear, that seemed to have an eye patch. And Mad-Eye Moody, the terror of the Aurors department, was curled around Remy. Both of them appeared to be fast asleep.

Mad-Eye opened his eye and glared at Remus. "You'll wake the kid."

"I'm already awake. Kinda." Remy yawned and blinked and grinned at Remus. "Didn't wanna disturb you."

Mad-Eye chuckled and stretched. "Uh huh. So those snores were just to soothe me were they?"

"I don't snore." Remy sounded indignant.

"Well you do a damn good impression of someone who snores."

"I was just copying you."

Remus shook his head. "Will you two cut it out, I'm going to hurt myself laughing."

"It's not funny."

"Well it is sorta funny."

"Ah, cuddle the damn bear already."

"I am cuddling the bear. And I told you, he's called Patch."

"Patch?" queried Remus.

Remy nodded. "Well he said I couldn't call him Al, so I called him Patch."

Mad-Eye growled and cuffed Remy's ear, gently. Remy feigned injury and tried a really sorrowful expression. Remus laughed harder.

"Oh gods, Remy, that expression needs some work."

Remy grinned and stretched, wincing as his leg decided stretching that far wasn't the best idea he'd ever had.

"Good morning, gentlemen. Sleep well did we?" Doug grabbed the chart from the bottom of Remy's bed and made a few notes.

"I think so, thanks, Doug. Can I go home?" Remy looked hopeful.

Doug just grinned. "We'll see. Maybe if you actually eat something today."

Remy screwed his face up. "Not hungry."

Mad-Eye ruffled his hair. "You need to eat, Remy, get some strength back."

Doug checked Remy's eyes and stuck a thermometer in his mouth. "Much better. Almost normal I'd say. So if you eat something, we'll see about letting you go home. Ok, Remy?"

Remy grumbled. "I need the bathroom."

"Think you can walk there on your own?"

Remy frowned and thought about that. "Maybe with a bit of help."

Remus smiled. "I think I can help there. Come on, Remy, let's see how well your leg is doing."

Doug sat down on the bed and watched as Remus helped Remy hobble in the direction of the bathroom. He nodded. "He's doing much better than I'd have anticipated. And he's got a spark in his eyes too. As long as he eats something, you should be able to take him home later today."

Mad-Eye yawned and reached for his leg. "Thanks, er ..?"

"Doug. So how much pain is that leg causing you at the moment?"

Mad-Eye stared at Doug with his best blank expression. "No more than normal."

"Uh huh. Try again. I'm a healer, remember."

Mad-Eye shrugged. "Ok, so it's been hurting more than normal for the last week or so. Nothing I can't handle."

"And can you handle the extra pain and Remy in pain at the same time?"

"We'll manage."

"But you'd manage better if your leg wasn't hurting so much."

Mad-Eye glared at Doug. "It's not just Remy that isn't a huge fan of healers."

Doug nodded. "I gathered that, but if you let me take a look, I might be able to help." He held Mad-Eyes gaze.

Mad-Eye glared at him balefully, then finally shrugged in resignation. "Fine. Take a look."

Doug levered himself off the bed and carefully examined Mad-Eyes leg, both the stump and the wooden leg. "You get fitted for this a long time ago?"

"Fair while back. It's done more than a few miles."

"And I assume it didn't hurt at first."

"It hurt, just not in a normal kind of way. Took me a while to get used to it. But physical pain? No, not much really."

"I'd say you've worn away where the two parts meet. That's probably caused you discomfort and you've adjusted your walk to compensate, putting pressure in other places and causing you pain. Had any back pain lately?"

"Some," admitted Mad-Eye, grudgingly.

"Problems sleeping?"

"Last night was the most I've slept in a while."

"And I bet you've learned enough first aid and charms over the years to be able to heal yourself most of the time.

"Pretty much."

"Ok, well I think I can make a few adjustments to this. It might feel a little strange for a few days as your body realigns itself, but it should cause you less pain in the long run. And in future, when it starts hurting, get it looked at. How's your eye?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Oh that's just fine thanks. Working well, and before you ask, no it isn't hurting."

Doug grinned. "Just checking. Special offer this week, three for the price of two. Remy, your leg … I just need a third and you get the special discount."

Mad-Eye was still laughing when Remy and Remus returned.

"So, Junior, what do you want for breakfast?"

Remy shrugged as he obediently clambered back into bed. "Dunno. Not hungry."

"Well ok, you can stay here longer if you want." Mad-Eye couldn't stop himself from grinning at the look on Remy's face. "I'll make you a deal, kiddo. You eat breakfast here and I'll be back to eat lunch with you, and then we'll see about you coming home. Deal?"

Remy thought for a second, before deciding that was the best offer he was likely to get. "Deal."

"So what do you want?"

"Um … porridge?"

"Porridge?" Doug stared at Remy with a look of complete disbelief. "Are you serious? You actually like porridge?"

Mad-Eye grinned. "He likes my porridge."

"Ah. Well I'm pretty sure the porridge here won't be quite the same. How about toast and cornflakes? Maybe orange juice?"

Remy shrugged. "Ok. I think I can manage that."

"I have to go get some paperwork sorted out. I'll see you later, Junior. Be good."


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Remy! Will you stop chewing the damn chairs."

Remy looked up and yipped to Mad-Eye with big sad puppy dog eyes.

Mad-Eye groaned. "I've told you before, kiddo, those sad eyes have no effect on me. Now stop chewing on the furniture or I'm buying you a muzzle."

Remy dropped his head down onto his paws and lay there, looking up at Mad-Eye, his head tilted slightly to one side, with a fairly passable expression of innocence.

Remus nearly choked on his tea laughing. "God, Remy, cut it out will you. I'm trying to drink this, not wear it."

Remy growl-barked, wagged his tail, and pounced Mad-Eye, trying to jump up and lick his face. Mad-Eye tried in vain to hold the energetic bundle of fur at bay, but eventually relented and let Remy lick him. Remy yipped in triumphant glee, and then started mewling and wriggling uncontrollably as Mad-Eye started tickling his exposed tummy, mercilessly. The two of them wrestled on the floor for a few moments, before Mad-Eye gained the upper hand and Remy lay panting in his arms, with a daft grin on his face.

"And to think, Molly was offering me advice on raising kids. It's raising damn wolf pups I need help with."

Remy twisted round, peering in the direction of the front door. He sniffed the air, then yipped.

"Go get 'em, kiddo." Mad-Eye released Remy and got back to his feet, watching in amusement as Remy literally hurled himself on their visitor.

"Merlins teeth, let me in the damn door will you?" Fitz struggled to push Remy off and close the door behind him. "Hi guys, any chance we have some wolf tranquilizer on hand?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Not a chance I'm afraid, Fitz."

Remus grinned. "On the positive side, his leg seems to be healed and he seems full of energy."

"Full of energy? Hell, Remus, I'd say he has enough energy for all three of us and some spare. Remy, will you get off! Yes I know, I have chocolates in my pocket, get off and sit still and I may, repeat may let you have one."

Remy mumble growled, but stopped trying to jump up at Fitz and sat fairly quietly, only fidgeting slightly.

"Close enough." Fitz grinned and held the chocolate chunk out for Remy, who took it carefully from his fingers, and then literally wolfed it down. "Jesus. Are you remembering to feed him?"

Mad-Eye laughed. "Yes we are, Fitz, several times a day. And we exercise him too before you ask. Although we have discovered that wolves are possibly not the greatest skateboarders in the world. They seem to have too many paws."

Remy harrumphed and stalked off to lie under the kitchen table. The three men settled down around it with cups of coffee. Mad-Eye rubbed Remy's belly with his foot under the table and Remy rolled over and yipped happily. Fitz grinned.

"Someone's easily pleased."

Mad-Eye rolled his eye. "Hardly. So far today he's chased 4 ducks and 6 pigeons in the park, stalked a squirrel, scared the hell out of one of the neighbors cats, chewed at least one chair leg, and leapt up and down the stairs so many time, I think he's wearing out the treads. And it's only just past lunch time! It's about time he got some rest, and thought about morphing back."

Remy harrumphed, although it sounded more like a sneeze.

"I think he's allergic to cats," mused Remus.

"Great. Remind me to buy a cat."

Remy growled and stalked out from under the table, shooting Mad-Eye a look, before padding off towards the room.

"You know I'm kidding, Junior. But seriously, time to morph back."

Fitz shook his head. "So how are you coping with a hyperactive, impatient wolf pup with an interest in magic?"

Mad-Eye rubbed his temples. "Badly. So what did you find out, Fitz?"

"Seems our Mr. Smith has a rented lock up near some woodland in South London. A couple of vans have been seen, mainly delivering from the look of it. I'd say it's our best chance so far."

"Great. We'll head out and take a look."

"Just one problem, Mad-Eye," mused Remus.

Mad-Eye frowned at him. "What?"

"Who's going to wolf sit?"

"I heard that, and I don't need a sitter."

"Well at least he's morphed back," chuckled Fitz.

Mad-Eye rolled his eye. "The local cats will be thrilled. Remus is right though. Not leaving him here on his own. He'll probably chew through the front door."

"I'm not that bad." Remy stood in the doorway, trying his hardest to look indignant. "Phhthh. By the way, squirrels taste bad."

"You ate a squirrel?" Fitz looked surprised.

Remy shook his head. "No, I just licked it. Tasted ok as a wolf, but now …. Eewwwwww."

"How are the tags? Still attached?" Mad-Eye beckoned Remy over.

"Tags?" queried Fitz.

"Yes, Remy was worried he'd morph into a wolf and get picked up as a stray dog, so I got him dog tags. Contact details in case he gets lost. The Ministry will be notified if he's found, and then I can go pick him up."

Remy grinned and showed the tags to Mad-Eye. "Still attached, and they didn't get in my way either. They're kinda cool."

"Got your name on them?"

"No. Just an R for Remy."

"Hmm. I was wondering if the wolf had another name."

Remy frowned and looked at Fitz. "Another name?"

"Well lots of Animagus have a different name for their animal selves, so they can differentiate between the two. I knew a girl called Gladys, could transform into a cat. She referred to the cat as Scribbles. She said it was easier to think of Scribbles as being separate to Gladys. I just wondered if the wolf had another name."

"Hadn't thought about it. I mean, it's just me, but slightly different." Remy frowned, thinking about this.

"Well if you want the wolf to be known by a different name, Junior, just say and we'll go along with it." Mad-Eye ruffled his hair.

Remus chuckled. "Would have to be a name starting in R though, or the dog tags won't make much sense."

"Good point, Remus. Ok, names beginning with R, suitable for a wolf, and let's get ready to head out and check Mr. Smith's possible location. You'll have to come with us, Remy, too much of a detour to drop you at the Ministry, and I'm trusting you to stay put and out of trouble if any appears."

* * *

"Rupert."

"I'm a wolf, not a bear."

"Remus."

"That's my name."

"Oh yeah. Sorry. Well how about Romulus."

"Romulus?"

"Yes Remy, as in Romulus and Remus. The 2 wolves that formed Rome … you have no idea what I'm talking about have you?"

"Nope. None."

"Mad-Eye, you have got to get this kid an education."

"I am trying to get him an education, Fitz, but it's hard to do when he claims to hate reading books, hates schools and spends half the day chasing squirrels."

"Not fair. I don't just chase squirrels."

"To be fair, Mad-Eye, he chases pigeons and ducks too. Ow hey!"

"Remy, don't thump Remus. Let me do it, I hit harder."

"Reece? It means enthusiasm, and you're certainly that."

"Energetic more than enthusiastic. Not sure it's really me."

"Rufus?"

"Merlins Teeth No. No way am I going to call him Rufus. Constant reminder of Scrimgeour. You want to give me nightmares, Fitz?"

"Sorry, I'm struggling for suitable names starting with R. How about Rory?"

"Nope."

"Richard."

"I'm not answering to Dick."

"Robert?"

"Bob. Nope."

"No Bob Hope was a comedian … Never mind."

"How about Ranger?"

"Ranger?"

"Yes. Ranger. A ranger is a type of warrior, strongly associated with nature. They're good with animals and are skilled trackers. Not sure what you're like as a tracker, but it seems appropriate for you somehow."

Remy considered this with his head tilted to one side. "Ranger. Yeah, that's not bad. I think I could answer to Ranger.

"Congratulations, Fitz, you just named a wolf. Now do you think we can pick up the pace. I'd like to get there before I get much older. Not a word, Remy!"

"Hey, if he turns out to be a lone wolf, would that make him the Lone Ranger? What? Ow, hey, Mad-Eye! Fitz! Ow. Damn guys. I'm glad I didn't say maybe he'd grow up to be a banker."

"I dread to ask, but ok, why a banker, Remus?"

"Because then he'd be the Loan Arranger. Ow, hey that hurts Mad-Eye. Ow!"

* * *

Remy heard it first. He stopped and tilted his head to the right, listening intently. Mad-Eye used his magical eye to take a look around. Ah, there, over past the trees, there was a clearing, and a vehicle. Fitz and Remus hung back, waiting.

"I'll assume you can hear a car engine?" whispered Mad-Eye.

Remy blinked, a little surprised, then remembered the magical eye. "Yeah," he whispered back, "Some voices talking too. At least 2, maybe 3 people. Can't hear what they're saying, just the noise of talking."

"Ok, you wait here. Stay out of sight. We'll go take a look and be right back. Remus, you've got our backs. Come on, Fitz."

Remy watched as Mad-Eye and Fitz donned their invisibility cloaks and set off towards the clearing. Remus followed them a little way down the path, looking around cautiously for any signs of movement. Remy slid under a large bush and waited, head cocked on one side, listening for any signs of trouble.

The voices he could still just about hear continued their conversation at the same volume, apparently unaware of the approaching Aurors. Then there were a couple of raised voices, still unintelligible, and a couple of thudding sounds. The vehicle engine was shut off. Everything went quiet. A blackbird rustled around in the undergrowth near Remy. He watched it as it listened and then jumped up and down on one spot, pecking with its beak, and was rewarded with a fat, juicy worm.

Distant sounds of a scuffle and shouting made Remy peer out from under the bush. Remus was paying close attention to a spot past the clearing, his wand at the ready. He looked around at Remy, who nodded and grinned and ducked back under the bush. Remus set off in the direction of the fracas. Remy waited, listening. There were a few crackles, and he could see a couple of flashes of blue light, followed by a crashing noise through the undergrowth nor far from Remy. He slid further under the bush and kept perfectly quiet. Someone came running straight past his position, missing him by a couple of feet, and charged off down the hill.

Remy stayed still under cover of the bush and waited. Everything seemed quiet. Several minutes passed, and then there was a low whistle. He peeked out and grinned at Mad-Eye.

"You actually stayed out of trouble?"

Remy tried to look indignant. "I promised I would."

Mad-Eye grinned. "Yes, I know what you promised. Come on. We've found our missing items and most of the gang that were involved in stealing them. Mr. Smith got away unfortunately."

"I think he came right by me. Someone did anyway."

"Really?" Mad-Eye looked thoughtful "You know which way?"

"Down the hill, but I'm not sure which way. I was staying out of sight."

"Hmm. Might be possible to track him I suppose, always supposing he's not too careful about covering his tracks anyway. Come on, we'd better get back to the others. I left Fitz immobilising people while Remus made an inventory."

* * *

"I'm still not sure about this Mad-Eye. How much tracking has Remy done anyway?"

"Not much, Fitz, but we don't have many other options. I lost the trail a while back. At worst he's getting some exercise and we're getting better acquainted with the woodland areas of South London."

Fitz ducked under a low branch. "Remy, slow up will you. I mean, Ranger."

Remy, or rather Ranger, stopped sniffing at the woodland floor and looked round at the two Aurors. He was sure he could do this a lot quicker on his own. Find Mr. Smith and then come back and tell them where he was, but Al had made him promise to stay close and not go running off. He grumbled in a growly way and waited for the two men to catch up.

Mad-Eye scritched his ears. "Slower, Ranger. Make sure you're following the right trail. We want to find this guy eventually, not a squirrel really quickly. Ok?"

Ranger yipped and licked Mad-Eyes hand, before sniffing at the floor and padding off into the woods.

They followed the trail through the woods and out into some open parkland. The trail seemed to lead along a well used footpath, and they made better time. As they neared a built-up area, Mad-Eye whistled and Ranger padded back to him, somewhat reluctantly.

Mad-Eye rubbed his head and clipped a leash onto Ranger's dog tags. Ranger looked at him with huge puppy dog eyes. Mad-Eye grinned. "We've been through this, kiddo. The leash is magical and breaks if you tug it. You know that, we practised until you were happy. And people are less likely to be worried how much you look like a wolf if you're on a leash. Now, stay close and concentrate on that scent."

Ranger set off down the path towards the buildings, with Mad-Eye close by one side and Fitz to the other. To a casual observer, they were just two men out for a walk with their dog. Ranger paused by a rubbish bin and sniffed at it, before growling.

"Don't tell me, we've been tracking a rubbish bin?"

Mad-Eye laughed. "I'm pretty sure rubbish bins don't take walks through woods, Fitz." He looked in the bin, whistled, and pulled out a black trench coat. "I believe Mr. Smith was wearing this back at the lock-up."

Fitz examined it and checked the pockets, retrieving a set of keys. "Looks like Ranger is a pretty good tracker. Sorry I doubted you, lad. Want to bet these keys are for that lock-up? But why ditch the coat?"

"Not sure. Maybe it was slowing him down. Maybe he wanted to change his appearance. Maybe he realized we were tracking him and thought getting rid of this would help. Maybe it did help. Looks like Ranger's having trouble picking up his scent again."

Ranger was pacing in ever increasing circles around the bin, sniffing at the ground. Mad-Eye had to let go of the leash to stop Ranger tieing them all in knots. Finally, Ranger stopped and barked, looking down the pavement. Mad-Eye picked the leash back up.

"Ok, kiddo. Slowly, and if I tell you to get the hell out, you get the hell out. Understood?"

Ranger yipped, and then padded off, slowly, down the pavement, sniffing as he went. He was so intent in tracking the scent, that he was oblivious to roads, traffic and other pedestrians, and Mad-Eye had to whistle him several times to get him to pay attention. Twice he nearly walked into a road when there were vehicles approaching. The second time, Mad-Eye bent down and growled at him to be more careful.

They traversed a complicated route past various buildings and down an assortment of side streets, until eventually they reached a less densely populated area. Mad-Eye kept a very careful watch ahead for trouble, while Fitz kept looking behind to make sure they weren't being followed. Suddenly Mad-Eye whistled and stopped. Fitz halted beside him. Ranger however, was intent on the scent and padded forward a few paces. Mad-Eye whistled again. Ranger looked back at him quizzically.

"Come here, Ranger."

Mad-Eyes voice left no room for argument and Ranger padded back, unsure why they'd stopped. The scent was strong, and he was sure they'd soon find Mr. Smith. He sat down by Mad-Eye and looked up at him. Mad-Eye rubbed his ears.

"Good boy. Now I need you to stay out of sight. Morph back if you want, but stay out of sight. Got that?" He unclipped the leash.

Ranger stood up, stretched and morphed back. Remy sneezed. "Why have we stopped?"

"Because you found our man, kiddo." He indicated towards a rundown building a little further down the street. Mr. Smith was stood at the door, frantically searching his pockets. "I think he threw the key away in that trench coat."

As they watched, Mr. Smith drew his wand from his cane, waved it at the lock, and then pushed the door open and disappeared inside. Remy looked around and spied a disused warehouse with its loading bay doors open.

"I could hide there."

"Good, we'll go have a talk with Mr. Smith. You stay out of sight."

Remy hurried to his position in the partial darkness of the old warehouse, while Fitz and Mad-Eye cautiously approached Mr. Smith's building. After a quick look around, they both vanished inside. Remy yawned and settled down, leaning against an old packing crate, waiting for them to return.

* * *

Mad-Eye and Fitz entered the building quietly, pausing for a moment just inside the doorway to allow their eyes to adjust to the darkness within. The entire building was dimly lit, if at all, with cracked plaster work, exposed crumbling brick work, and paint peeling from the walls. Most of the windows were covered in so much grime that very little natural light could penetrate them, although a fair few were broken, which did allow some daylight inside. The building felt damp and unused. Mad-Eye motioned with his head, and he and Fitz split up and set off to search the building.

Fitz had to tread carefully. The room he'd entered was piled high with crates, some of them balancing precariously at a ridiculous height, and the floorboards were badly warped. He rounded each pile, wand at the ready, checking that Mr. Smith wasn't hiding amongst the mass ranks of detritus.

He'd just checked the last pile of rubbish, when the cat appeared. It was a small, black cat, more like a kitten really. It meowed pitifully and rubbed up against Fitz's leg. He tried to shoo it away, and it wandered off to find something else to rub against. Fitz smiled and made his way cautiously back towards the room entrance. He felt the impending crash behind him rather than heard it, and turned just in time to see one of the more unstable towers of crates plummeting towards him at speed, with the black kitten at the base, paws on the lower crates, pushing them towards Fitz with a contented look on it's face.

* * *

Mad-Eye heard the crash, but was a little too preoccupied to check it out. He'd headed upstairs to a large, open manufacturing area, full of massive work tables and lots of large cupboards and cabinets. The room seemed to be deserted, but he'd worked his way around it carefully, double checking. There seemed to be an office at the far end, with an internal window looking onto the main floor area. He'd seen a small light moving around in the office and made his way closer. That was when the cupboard door flew open and numerous pixies few out and started to attack him. He'd managed to stun the majority of them, but one or two were still causing him problems when he heard the crash.

He immobilised the remaining pixies and listened carefully. No more crashes, and no raised voices. The light in the office had disappeared too. He cursed himself under his breath for letting a few pixies delay him so much, and stomped towards the office. No point trying to hide his presence now. He could see someone stood by the wall, staring out of a large window that looked out to the alleyway. He opened the door slowly and took two paces inside.

"Ah. Mr. Moody, I assume? Pleased to meet you. My name is … Mr. Smith."

Mad-Eye raised his eyebrows. "Pleased to finally meet you too, Mr. … Smith. I've been tracking you for quite some time."

Mr. Smith turned so that he was facing Mad-Eye. "Yes. I was aware of your interest. It has caused me to make more than a few alterations to my plans. I had hoped I would have finished before you caught up with me, but it seems you are indeed every bit as good as your reputation suggests."

Mad-Eye inclined his head slightly in recognition of the compliment. "Am I to assume you have no intentions of 'coming quietly'?"

Mr. Smith chuckled humorlessly and played with the silver head of his cane. "Absolutely none."

"Well, in that case, I'd suggest you draw your wand."

"Oh, I don't believe that will be necessary. In fact, I think you will be leaving here very quickly. It would appear you are needed elsewhere, leaving me free to 'make my escape' as it were. I doubt I'll get the chance to finish my work, but at least I'll live to try another day."

Mad-Eye frowned. "If you mean that crash a while back, I think you'll find my colleague is more than capable of taking care of himself."

"Oh, that? No. That wasn't what I meant at all, although it would appear that fortune is on my side as it would appear your colleague is a little incapacitated at present. Unfortunately, it appears my colleague is similarly afflicted. Ah well, can't win them all. I was actually thinking more of your young friend down in the alley. Shame he switched to your side. He really was most useful while he was working for me. A real artist in breaking and entry. None of this thuggery that Mr. Sullivan has resorted to lately. I believe his change in approach is what has enabled you to catch up with me quicker than originally anticipated. Perhaps I could persuade him to switch back. Or perhaps Mr. Sullivan has other plans for him. Mr. Sullivan was not too happy about his defection I'm afraid. In fact, he has been quite … angry about the whole incident." Mr. Smith smiled coldly and looked out of the window.

Mad-Eye frowned and limped to the window, keeping one eye focused on Mr. Smith. He looked down to the alleyway. From here he could see the warehouse where they'd left Remy. In fact, he could see Remy. And Sullivan. Sullivan had Remy in a tight grip, with a knife held to his throat.

"Perhaps we should go down and see if you can negotiate his release."

Mad-Eye growled. "Well, you lead the way Mr. Smith. I'll be right behind you."

Mr. Smith smiled and led the way back through the factory and down to the alley. Mad-Eye kept a close watch on him the whole way, and also managed to do a quick search for Fitz, but he couldn't see the Auror anywhere. Once in the alleyway, Mr. Smith positioned himself up the alley, away from Sullivan and Remy. Mad-Eye could still watch both of them, but knew he could only move one way. Either he could try and stop Mr. Smith from leaving, or he could try and stop Sullivan from hurting Remy.

"How you doing, kiddo?"

"He's fine," snapped Sullivan. "And he'll stay that way as long as you head down the alley and out of sight. Way out of sight. Once you're clear, I'll release him."

"Right. And I'm supposed to believe you, because?"

"Because if you don't, I'll slit his throat. I'll do it. Just get the hell out of my sight, and none of your tricks."

Mr. Smith wrinkled his nose as though this idea was disdainful in some way. "Really Mr. Sullivan, do you have to? I mean, think of the bloodstains. Besides, the boy was much more use when he was working for us than he'll ever be dead. Wouldn't you rather work for us, boy?"

Remy just stared at Mr. Smith. Mad-Eye smiled. "Not sure he's about to try talking with a knife held that close to his throat. He isn't that stupid."

Mr. Smith rolled his eyes. "Very well. Let the boy speak, Mr. Sullivan. Move the knife please."

Sullivan grumbled, but withdrew the knife slightly from Remy's throat, making sure to keep a firm grip on him, just in case.

"So, boy, how about coming to work for me? I'm sure I could find a lot of uses for someone with your undoubted talents, and you'd find the financial benefits well worth your while. I can be a generous employer, given the right results."

Remy appeared to give the idea some thought. "Hmm. Well it sounds interesting. Only thing is, I'm guessing you wouldn't be giving the day to day orders. I'm guessing you'd have someone else to do that. Someone like … oh I don't know … Sully perhaps?"

"Well, yes, Mr. Sullivan does tend to control my operations on a daily basis, although I do take a close interest in the outcomes of various … situations."

"See, now that's where we'd have a problem. I ain't exactly Sully's biggest fan, and I don't think I'm on his Christmas card list either. Ranger … now he might go for it." Remy looked straight at Mad-Eye, who suddenly realized what Remy had in mind. He nodded almost imperceptibly and Remy grinned.

"That's a shame. You could have been an asset to our organisation. Still, if there's a clash of personalities …"

"Oh I wouldn't say clash of personalities. I don't think Sully has a personality. He sure as hell can't spell it."

"Why you little …"

"Hey less of the little. I'm not little. I'm vertically challenged."

Mad-Eye was keeping a close watch on Mr. Smith, who was attempting to edge away down the alley unnoticed. He was also keeping a close watch on Sully's knife hand. As Sullivan drew his arm back to jab at Remy, Mad-Eye sprang into action. "Now, Ranger."

Mr. Smith looked round for Ranger, assuming he was the colleague Mad-Eye had mentioned earlier. That was a mistake, as he lost any advantage he'd gained from his discreet sidling. Mad-Eye was on him in an instant, cutting off his planned escape route, a feral grin playing around his lips. Mr Smith automatically drew his wand and aimed at Mad-Eye.

As soon as Mad-Eye gave the signal, Remy morphed leaving a stunned Sully with his arms full of a snarling, angry wolf pup. Ranger squirmed to break free from his grip. Sully managed to slice Rangers foreleg with his knife before he lost his grip on the angry bundle of fur and teeth. Ranger yelped in pain and then growled really deeply. Sully backed away into the warehouse, his eyes wide with fear, looking around desperately for a way out. Ranger limped towards him, teeth barred, snarling. Sully tripped up over a pile of wooden planks, and Ranger pounced, grabbing Sully's knife arm in his teeth and exerting enough pressure to strongly suggest Sully would be wise to drop the knife.

Sully lashed out in a blind panic, aiming wild punches at Ranger with his free arm. Ranger yelped as a few of the punches landed, and released Sully's arm. Sully quickly aimed a slash at Ranger, who rolled out of the way and stalked around Sully, growling low in his throat. Sully scrabbled around on the floor and found a pile of rubbish. He picked up an old can and threw it at Ranger, who avoided it easily. Sully tried again, this time with half a brick, and again with another can. Ranger growled and ducked the items thrown his way.

Sully managed to get back to his feet and grabbed a length of old iron pipe, which he swung in Ranger's general direction, more to keep him at a safe distance than in hope of actually harming him. Ranger stalked after Sully, making sure he didn't get close enough to be hit by the flailing pipe. Sully glanced quickly over his shoulder and saw a door at the back of the warehouse. He headed towards it, with Ranger following as close as he dared.

Sully tried the door handle. It wasn't locked. He took one last huge swing at Ranger and then threw the pipe at him, before turning his back to open the door and flee. The pipe caught Ranger a glancing blow on the head, causing him to yelp, but it didn't prevent him from launching himself at Sully's back. The impact threw Sully forwards into the door before he'd managed to open it fully, banging his head on the door and stunning him. Ranger made the most of his momentary advantage and grabbed Sully's knife arm in his teeth again, this time biting down harder. The ferrous taste of blood flooded his senses. Sully howled in pain and let go of the knife. Ranger pushed the knife out of Sully's reach with a paw. He kept a firm hold on Sully's arm and looked around for Mad-Eye.

Mad-Eye and Mr. Smith had been duelling for quite a while, exchanging charms and spells, each one searching for a weakness of some kind. Eventually Mad-Eye tired of the exchanges and unleashed a barrage of charms on Mr. Smith. Smith evaded and blocked as best he could, but was overwhelmed by the strength and power and succumbed to an immobilisation spell. Mad-Eye quickly secured him, and looked around for Remy.

He followed the sounds of growling into the warehouse, where he found Ranger, snarling and growling at Sully, his jaws clamped firmly around the man's arm.

"Ok, Ranger, I've got him covered, let go. Good boy."

Ranger slowly released Sully's arm and backed away cautiously, watching for any signs of retaliation. Mad-Eye swiftly immobilised the man and secured him, before checking Ranger for any signs of damage.

"Nasty cut on your arm there, kiddo, and a bit of a cut on your head too. You better morph back so I can take care of those."

Ranger morphed back, wincing as his arm hurt. He stared at his arm, the neat slit in the sleeve of his top and the seeping blood, and muttered under his breath. "Damn, I liked this top too."

"We'll get you a new top, Junior. Now hold still." Mad-Eye carefully pulled the sleeve back from Remy's arm to reveal the cut. "Not too deep. Should heal pretty quick." He aimed his wand at Remy's arm. "Ferula." Remy's arm was bandaged in seconds.

"Wow. I gotta learn how to do that."

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Hopefully it's a spell you won't need to use all that often, but yes, it probably would be a good idea to learn it."

"You reckon you can bandage my head while you're at it?" Fitz staggered a little unsteadily from the factory building, clutching a small black cat in one hand and his head in the other. His head was oozing blood from a deep gash in the side. The cat appeared to be unconscious.

Mad-Eye raised an eyebrow. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Long story. Short version is a pile of packing crates. I have to tell you, they hurt if enough of them hit you in the head."

"And the cat?"

"Pretty sure it's not a cat. Pretty sure it's an Animage. Either that or it's a cat who likes deliberately trying to bury Aurors under packing crates. I managed to stun it before the crates hit."

"Hmm, possibly the elusive Mr. Smith's missing colleague."

Remy frowned, and winced as his head hurt. "He had a bodyguard with him before. He was a really big guy though."

"True, he was," agreed Mad-Eye. "But that doesn't mean he can't be a small black cat. Immobilise it just in case, Fitz. Ok, Junior, tilt your head to one side, let's have a look at that cut. Not too bad either. Bit of a cut, and you'll probably have a bit of a lump for a few days. You got lucky. That was a pretty risky thing to try."

Remy shrugged. "Had to try something. You couldn't take Sully and Mr. Smith at the same time. It wouldn't have been fair to let Mr. Smith get away just 'cause I got in the way."

Fitz laughed. "I think we have an Auror in the making here, Mad-Eye."

Mad-Eye smiled and ruffled Remy's hair. "Looks that way. I'm just glad you didn't get hurt too badly. Ok, you fit to travel, Remy?" Remy nodded. "You think you can hold the fort here while reinforcements arrive, Fitz?"

Fitz nodded, and winced. "Probably be a good idea if I stay still for a while anyway. Just while the world stops spinning."

"Come on then, Remy. Port key, then floo to The Ministry I think."

"Port key?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "Another new experience for you. You're having a busy day. Come on, let's go."


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Travelling by port key had been a novel experience. One minute he'd been holding onto an old lantern, feeling like a bit of an idiot, and the next he'd been flying through the air, holding onto the lantern for dear life. The landing had been a little sudden too, although he'd made it relatively unscathed, if a little jarred.

The floo section of the trip had been simple enough, from the old country pub to the Ministry. He'd got to see parts of the Ministry he hadn't known existed, with Al pointing out where all the various departments where. No-one challenged his presence in the building. It seemed the fact he was with Mad-Eye was all the credentials he needed.

Remy had a feeling Al was looking for someone. They criss-crossed a variety of corridors until they found him. He was a middle-aged wizard with a highly aristocratic aura. He was dressed completely in black clothes, but clothes of the highest quality, setting off his pale, lean face and slicked back white-blond hair. The man he'd been deep in conversation with scurried away quickly as Mad-Eye approached, with Remy half a step behind him.

"Moody, old fellow. A pleasure as always. I see you have a new pet. I do hope he's housetrained." The man's voice dripped with phoney enthusiasm and pure disdain. Remy's hackles bristled.

"Malfoy," Mad-Eye grunted. "I'd like a word."

"I'd prefer if you didn't, Moody. I was about to leave for the weekend."

"This won't take long, and I guarantee you'll hear something to your advantage."

"Very well," Malfoy snorted. "I believe I can spare you a few moments."

"It's just that we've just finished our investigation of the thefts of magical artefacts from muggle warehouses. We've recovered all the stolen items, apprehended those involved, and shut down the operation."

"And how is that information to my advantage, Moody?" Malfoy sneered derisively. "Presumably those responsible will be tried shortly and sent to Azkaban."

"Oh, I have no doubt the main player's will go to Azkaban for their part, but they were just small cogs in a bigger machine. A machine funded by someone with money." Moody leaned forward and snarled. "Someone like you, Lucius!"

"I, indeed?" Malfoy drew back in feigned indignation. "So I'm allegedly involved in this fiasco purely because I am financially independent?"

"No. The clincher was a wand. A wand concealed in a cane. In all my years, I've only ever seen one other like it."

Moody's hand shot out with deceptive speed, grabbed Malfoy's silver headed cane and slammed it sideways into the wall, causing several people to stop and stare at this confrontation with renewed interest.

Malfoy glared at Moody with pure hatred, before leaning forwards and hissing. "Innocent until proven guilty, Moody. I believe you'll have a hard time proving me guilty based solely on the fact that I have money and a cane. If that is all the 'evidence' you have against me, then I simply fail to see what possible course of action is left for you."

"Any legal course, Malfoy", replied Mad-Eye with a snarl. "You've covered your tracks well. 'Mr. Smith' or whatever his name turns out to be, will take the fall. Presumably he's been paid well enough to keep his mouth shut. But if I ever hear of such a scheme happening again, remember that I will know exactly where to look for the source of the problem."

"That sounds suspiciously like a threat, Moody."

"Oh, that wasn't a threat, Lucius. It was a promise." Mad-Eye grinned his most feral grin, his eye gleaming brightly.

For a brief moment, Malfoy's calm, confident arrogance gave way to a look of fear and panic. He recovered immediately, but everyone watching had seen it.

"Perhaps … perhaps now would be an opportune moment to take some time to peruse my other business interests … elsewhere."

"Smartest decision you've made in a long time, Lucius. Don't be in a rush to get back." Mad-Eye dismissed Malfoy with a flick of the head and stomped off down the corridor, with Remy by his side.

* * *

Remy was seated in the waiting room outside the Ministers Office. Barbara had attempted to fuss over him for a while, but she'd eventually given up and left him alone. Mad-Eye had been inside for several minutes, briefing The Minister and a couple of other people on Mr. Smith and his operations. The door opened and Remy looked up hopefully, but everyone left the room except The Minister and Mad-Eye. The door closed again.

Remy yawned. He was suddenly really tired. All he wanted to do was to go home and sleep. His arm was stinging, and his head was aching, and above all, he was really tired. He felt like he could sleep for a week. From the sounds of the argument just getting started in the next room, he could be here for a while yet.

"You shouldn't have taken the boy with you, Mad-Eye."

"The boy has a name. And taking Remy with us wasn't my preferred option. I didn't have a lot of choice."

"You could have brought him here."

"Yes, that's true, I could. And we'd have missed Mr. Smith if I had. Bringing him here would have wasted time. Time we didn't have. I made a decision, and I stand by it."

"He could have been seriously hurt."

"Well he wasn't."

"But he could have been."

"We all could have been."

"But you all made the choice. You didn't give the boy a choice. What would his parents have said if he'd been injured."

"He hasn't got any parents, Cornelius."

"Jared said …"

"I don't care what Jared claimed, Remy doesn't have any parents." Mad-Eye was sounding more and more exasperated.

"Well he must have a guardian then. Someone who takes care of him."

"Yes. Me. We've been through this."

"But you're not his parent, Alastor. You don't have the authority to make those decisions for him."

"Fine, then I'll bloody well adopt him. Would that make everything alright?"

Remy listened with his jaw practically on the floor as the Minister spluttered and struggled for something to say. He heard Al stomp to the door and throw it open.

"I think you probably heard that, Junior. Yes, from the open mouthed expression, you did hear that. Well, what do you think? I should probably have mentioned it sooner, but, well now is as good a time as any."

Remy struggled to form a coherent sentence. "You mean … adopt … me?"

"Aye, lad. If you want. If you don't, that's ok, we'll think of something else."

"No. I mean yes. I mean, can you do that? Adopt me?"

"Aye, under the laws of Magic I can. Providing we get a couple of witnesses. Someone that knows us both, willing to sign and say that they think it's a good idea. Pretty sure I can twist a couple of arms." He grinned as Barbara shot him a glare. "I'm joking, Barbara. Well what do think, Remy? Want me to adopt you?"

Remy nodded enthusiastically. "Hell yeah. I mean, yes please. When?"

Mad-Eye chuckled. "How about now? No time like the present as my Da used to say."

"Can we?" Remy was suddenly wide awake.

Mad-Eye looked questioningly at Barbara. She frowned at him, then turned her attention to Remy. "Are you sure that knock on the head wasn't harder than you're admitting? You're not feeling light headed? Or dizzy?"

Remy grinned. "I'm fine. Honest."

"And you really want to do this?"

"Yep, I really do."

She regarded him thoughtfully for a few moments, but was apparently reassured by the enthusiastic look on his face. "Very well." She opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out an official looking form, handing it to Mad-Eye. "Fill this in. Correctly please. This isn't an expenses claim form."

Mad-Eye laughed. "Hell, did you have that in there purely on the off chance, or do you know something I don't?"

She smiled. "Let's just say I'm surprised it took you this long."

He grinned ruefully. "Yes, well I meant to do something about it a while back, but I allowed myself to be distracted by work. So unlike me. Ok, come on, Junior. Let's see if we can fill in this form and find a couple of volunteers to sign in the right places."

Behind him the Minister just shook his head, before wandering back into his office with a bemused expression oh his face and sitting down at his desk with a thud. "Mad-Eye Moody. Adopting a Wolf. I must be dreaming."

* * *

It turned out to be remarkably easy to find the two volunteers they needed. Remus and Fitz were the only people in the Aurors office, both muttering about paperwork. Mad-Eye and Remy looked at each other and grinned.

"I'll pick Fitz."

Fitz looked up, confused. "Pick me for what, Mad-Eye?"

"I'll pick Remus."

"What are you volunteering me for now, Remy?"

Mad-Eye waved the form at the pair. Remus grabbed it, looked at it, then looked at Remy. "Are you sure about this?"

Remy nodded and grinned. "Yep."

Fitz grabbed the paper from Remus and started to read it. His jaw dropped open. "Woah, are you two sure about this?"

Mad-Eye laughed. "Yes, Fitz, we're both sure. Now are you two going to sign, or do we have to find someone else?"

Remus grabbed the form back from Fitz and picked up his pen. "I'll sign it."

Fitz watched with a frown. "Have you thought this through, Mad-Eye? No offence, Remy, but, well …"

"I'm a wolf?"

"No."

"A kid?"

"Well, yes. You are."

"If I wasn't a kid, I wouldn't need adopting."

Remus laughed and handed the form to Fitz. "He has a point."

Fitz rubbed his head. "Yes, yes he does. And I do like you, Remy, honest I do. But Mad-Eye? As a father? I'm having a few problems with that image somehow."

"Why?" Remy sounded puzzled. "He's been doing the job for a couple of months, and I'm still in one piece. Actually I'm in more of one piece than I was when he started."

Fitz considered this. "You mean apart from falling through a roof and nearly going up in flames. Oh, and nearly getting your throat cut?"

Remy shrugged. "To be honest, I'm surprised I haven't fallen through more roofs, considering how many I've run across, and Sully was always likely to try and slit my throat some day. At least Al was around to take care of me afterwards. Never had that before."

"Hmm, well you two do seem well suited. You actually make him laugh, which I have to tell you is one hell of a feat, and you seem to do what he says, most of the time. Ah hell, if you're both sure, why not. Where do I sign?"

"There is just one thing, Mad-Eye." Everyone turned to look at Remus, who had a thoughtful expression on his face. "You were worried someone would use Remy to get to you. If you adopt him, you're painting a damn big target on his back."

Mad-Eye frowned. "True. There is that. You might want to reconsider, Junior."

Remy shook his head. "Nope. You'll just have to teach me how to take care of myself using magic. That way I won't have to keep morphing and mauling people."

"Of course, I could just adopt you and not tell anyone. That way no-one would know. I think everyone has pretty much accepted you're under my protection by now. No need for them to know it's more than that. That way, the target is a little smaller."

It was Remy's turn to look thoughtful. "Works for me. I don't care who does and doesn't know, as long as I know. Anyway, I'm used to being just Remy. No reason to change that."

"So that's settled then. I'll adopt Remy as my son, as long as we can get Fudge to sign the papers, but we're not advertising the fact. At least not until I'm sure Remy can take care of himself … with magic, don't look at me like that. I know you can handle yourself in a normal fight, even if the other guy is as big as say Saron. But magic is a different matter. Everyone clear?"

"Clear."

"Understood."

"Welcome to the family Junior."


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Remy sighed as Mad-Eye steered him down the country lane. "Where are we going?"

"I told you, Junior. Home."

"What was wrong with Number 13?"

"Absolutely nothing, but I told you, it's not mine. Number 13 is Remus's place. And now we're going home. My home. Our home."

"So are we nearly there yet?"

Mad-Eye laughed. "Yes we are. There you go, Remy. Home."

They stopped at the bottom of the track and Remy stared at the house. Well farm house really. It was just close enough to the nearby village to be accepted as part of the community, and yet far enough away to be completely private. The front garden looked to be a reasonable size and mainly lawn with planted borders, surrounded by a wall and hedging. The path leading to the front door was bordered by typical cottage garden plants and flowers. Even this late in the evening at this early time of year, Remy could see bees, bustling around the flowers industriously, making the most of the rapidly fading light.

The house itself was stone built, 2 stories high, with a window each side of the front door, a grey slate roof and a white wooden porch over the front door. He was having a hard time believing this was really Mad-Eye's house. Not that he was too sure what he'd expected really. A wooden shack in the woods perhaps. He rubbed his eyes as Mad-Eye laughed.

"Yes, Junior. This really is where I live. It's an old farm house. Most of the land is rented out to neighoring farms these days. Still got a few meadows and an orchard, and the wood out the back too, so you'll have plenty places to run and explore. The garden I take no credit for, that was my Da. Loved his garden. There's even a vegetable patch out the back, although it's a little overgrown these days. The house pretty much takes care of itself too, although it's been a bit big for just me to be honest. It's a quiet area, a few other wizards and witches live nearby, so we make sure it stays quiet."

He checked his security and nodded in satisfaction, before waving his wand and muttering something under his breath.

"We best get inside."

Inside the house was obviously well loved, at least parts of it were, or had been at some point. It looked and smelled a little unlived in. The paintwork would have benefited from a freshening up, and the furniture was old fashioned and well used. The curtains at the windows were heavy and dark and shouldn't have let much natural light in, yet the place didn't seem dark and dingy.

Mad-Eye led Remy on a quick guided tour, pointing out the kitchen, which was a classic country style kitchen, with oak cupboards, complete with range cooker, sink and fridge … empty fridge. "I'll sort that tomorrow." The table to one side had a long padded bench on one side and a couple of chairs on the other side. There was a small utility room just off the kitchen, with a stable type door leading outside. "Great place for coats and muddy paws." There was also a small sun room leading from the kitchen, with a couple of wicker type sofas and another door opening onto the back garden. Remy could see a few outbuildings, including a wood store, and there was a paved area with a wooden table, chairs and a bench.

Onto the lounge, with its mismatched suite. "That chair is mine. It was my Da's. I know it doesn't match the couch, but I like that chair. It stays." Remy was drawn to the fireplace, which was an old inglenook style, with wood piled up each side of the fire grate, and a thick stone mantelpiece high over the top. "On a really cold night, you can sit right in there by the fire and be toasty warm." The window looked onto the front garden, and had a padded window seat. "Great place to sit and read. Yes I know reading isn't your favourite pastime, but I've spent many happy hours sitting there, staring at nothing in particular."

The study, with books piled haphazardly on bookshelves and paperwork littering the desk, also looked onto the front garden. "I can find anything in here, given enough time anyway." The dining room with its impressive sized table and six chairs, with a further pair of chairs in opposite corners. "I'm pretty sure at least 4 of these chairs have never been used. I usually eat in the kitchen or the lounge. Pointless eating in here on my own."

They headed upstairs. Family bathroom. Mad-Eyes bedroom was surprisingly complete with an ensuite bathroom. Three further bedrooms. "Take your pick, Junior. That's more of a box room than a bedroom really, but the other 2 are decent sizes. Either should be fine for you. Failing that, there's an attic space, but I haven't been up there in years."

"I get to pick?"

"Of course you get to pick. It's your room."

Remy checked the box room. It was pretty small, just big enough for a bed and a cupboard, but not much else. He tried the other rooms. They were much bigger, each with a decent size window, and each with a bed already in place. The room at the front had a single bed, large wardrobe, bedside cabinet, chest of drawers and a chair, and plenty of floor space. The view out of the window was over the track and the open fields beyond, and if you stood to one side you could see down the lane towards the village. The room at the back was practically identical in size and had similar furniture, but with a double bed, a large bookcase, a desk and a chair. The view was over the back garden and the various outbuildings, and out to the wooded hill.

"I like this room the best, but it has a double bed."

"Easily fixed. You sure you want this one?"

"Yes please."

"Good choice. This was my old room." Mad-Eye swapped the beds with the minimum of fuss and a dextrous use of magic.

Remy giggled as the two beds passed each other in the hallway. "They look like they're dancing."

"Don't make me laugh or I might miss and you could end up sleeping in the garden."

A few flicks of the wand and Remy's room was all set. He grinned and bounced on the bed. "Long time since I had my own room."

"Time to get some sleep, Junior. It's been a long day, and you look beat. Tomorrow I'll show you the security and we can explore the farmland, the orchard, and the woods, and maybe even head into the village. There are a few people I should introduce you to. Hmm, not sure what I'm going to introduce you as though."

"Um. How about … Remy."

Mad-Eye laughed. "Yes, ok. 'This is Remy. He's staying with me for a while'."

"Why not? It's true."

"Yes it is, and I hope it's for more than a while, kiddo." He hugged Remy tightly and ruffled his hair. "Now, into bed and get some sleep. Night Son."

Remy beamed and hugged Al tightly. "Night … Dad."

And for the first time in a long time, Remy slept well with no nightmares.


End file.
